The Erotic Tales of Hybrids
by Le Mon KeyserSoze
Summary: Short stories of the sexual encounters that wizards and witches have with humans who have partial characteristics of magical creatures. Warning: Heterosexual bias, sexual themes, lemons, abuse, dark comedy, tamed romance, disturbed romance, no romance, misplaced drama, philosophical questioning, and psychological trauma. For Adults Only.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. I do own my right to fantasize. See what I did there?

Chapter One – Nymph and Wood

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I was always fascinated with wood.

I know that it is rather ironic, given that my last name is Wood.

But I don't care.

I am actually proud to have a last name that is related to what I work on.

Yes. Laugh it off.

Oliver wood likes to work with wood.

After being a reserved seeker of Puddlemere United, I decided to retire at the age of 31.

I know that there are professional quidditch players who are still playing at 35 or 40 years old, but I do not want to play the game for most of my middle aged life. To be honest, I was never completely focused on quidditch. I do like the strategy that comes with game, especially the team comradery.

But the real reason why I liked playing quidditch, was that I get to play with a broom all day.

Ever since I got my first broom when I was ten years old, I have this obsessive interest on what brooms are made out of. Other than enchanted bristles and rope, the wood is the highlight of every broom. Brooms can be made out of all kinds of wood. Birch, Oak, Willow, Pine, the varieties are endless.

Obviously, my favorite part of the broom is the wood.

Every piece of wood being used for brooms, creates a character that quidditch players must master.

After admiring the mount of brooms for years, I decided that I will be a broom maker when I retire.

And so, here I am in the middle of nowhere, looking for broom materials in the forest of Alaska.

I am currently in Tongas National Forest, the scenery is magnificent and the air is fresh.

And the trees in this area are just..wow. I can't wait to get started.

I only began as a part-time broom maker apprentice three years ago, but my advisers tells me that I am a natural. I finished my apprenticeship before I retired as a quidditch player. And I am very proud of that fact. When I finished the broom making program, I was recommended to have advanced classes.

The advanced classes are not as practical as the broom making program, they are designed in order for a broom maker to have a specialty in the craft. Normally, novice broom makers get to choose their specialty, but I was vehemently required by master craftsmen to become an enchanted wood specialist.

I was told that my carving is impeccable, and that I bring out the character and functionality of the wood mounts. But the advisers in my apprentice classes noticed that I have a rare gift of identifying the difference between enchanted wood and ordinary wood. Apparently specializing on that gift is vital.

Even the most skilled and experienced broom makers cannot see the difference.

Ordinary wood would make good foundation for brooms. But strong versatile flying brooms of legendary players are usually made out of enchanted wood. Brooms made out of enchanted wood are not in any way different from the genes of ordinary wood. A Birch tree can be just as enchanted as a Cypress.

The only difference between ordinary wood and enchanted wood, is that enchanted wood is enchanted.

Simple right? Well, not exactly.

For a tree to be enchanted, a wood nymph must reside on the tree. The tree will then grow and develop, based on the magical core and signature of the nymph. If a tree is considered a home for a wood nymph, the tree is much stronger and fortified compared to ordinary wood. Also, the wood is magically altered.

Enchanted wood is not rare. One in five trees all around the world is enchanted.

What makes enchanted wood uncommon and expensive, is the fact that it is very hard to identify an enchanted tree. Wood nymphs do not like their homes to be damaged or taken away, so enchanted trees can only be identified by humans who have magical cores that resound to wood elements.

The magical cores of wizards and witches usually resounds to one of the four basic elements: earth, water, fire, and air. Wood is a combination of earth and water. It is very uncommon for a wizard or a witch to resound with a combination of the basic elements such as metal, earth, plants, and animals.

For a broom maker who resounds with the wood element, such quality should be refined. It would be a sin for me not to specialize in the identification and extraction of enchanted wood. Thus, after finishing my apprenticeship, I have chosen the identification and extraction of enchanted wood as my specialty.

"Look over there! Now that is a beauty." Angus tells me, pointing on an enchanted great cypress.

"We already collected enough pine, we should focus on birch trees." Connor advises, walking towards a lovely silver birch tree.

Only one in ten broom makers can actually identify enchanted wood. Therefore I only have two fellow broom makers who are part of my specialization. Angus and Connor are talented broom makers, we get along quite well. As an assignment of our course, we are extracting enchanted wood varieties.

We have already extracted from different places: Oak from Germany, Palm from the Amazon, Cherry from Japan, and Maple from America. As much as we love to travel and see different wood varieties, Alaska will be our final destination and we are damn well ready to finish this long expedition.

"Connor is right, we are already stocked with pine selections. Best that we look for silver and river birch trees." I tell the freckled man with a buzz cut.

"Alright. But we go back to that cypress yeah? The nymph over there looks friendly." Angus suggests.

As we make our way to a bunch of birch trees, I can spot the enchanted birch right away.

For wizards that have magical cores resounding with wood, enchanted trees are identified by a faint glow or mist that wood nymphs emit. Mist or radiance can also be spotted in enchanted wood products. A wood nymph can also be physically spotted near the tree. Nymphs never leave their homes.

Although an enchanted tree can be identified, dealing with nymphs is not as easy.

Wood nymphs are territorial. In order to extract wood from the tree that nymphs reside in, one must offer a barter or trade. Some nymphs would like to trade a branch of their home for simple things like candy or a silly dance. Other nymphs would like complicated things like rare gems or chores.

There are wood nymphs who ask for difficult things. But I have yet to meet a wood nymph who would like to trade for something that cannot be attained. Territorial as they may be, wood nymphs are also fair, so long as you respect their home and treat them properly, trading for enchanted wood is possible.

"Hello there." Connor says to the silver birch wood nymph who is sitting on a branch above us.

The wood nymph does not answer, choosing to simply watch us carefully. Wood nymphs can actually understand any human language, but they cannot speak a word. In order to communicate with us, they use body language, drawing, or writing. Angus offers pen and paper, but the nymph refuses.

"I would like to trade for a branch of your tree." Connor explains, taking off his hat to show his face and regarding the nymph directly on the eyes. The nymph accepts his request by nodding at him, and then jumps out of the birch in order to regard us properly.

Wood nymphs come in different shapes and sizes. Some are larger than the tree that they reside in, some are small but their home is huge. Some look very old for a sapling, and some are very young for a thousand year old tree. Some are beautiful, while some are considered ugly or terrifying.

This particular nymph that we are trying to communicate with, has the form of a child. But every wood nymph must be respected like an elder. Although the nymph has a childlike appearance, all nymphs are as old as the earth. Disrespecting them is like disrespecting forces of nature. And nature can be deadly.

We bowed to the wood nymph and keep our eyes directly at the creature. Looking elsewhere is discouraged, and bowing is a sacred greeting. We learned from our advisers about a broom maker who was decapitated by a wood nymph just because the broom maker forgot to bow. Never forget to bow.

Having given the proper greeting, the wood nymph regards us with a playful manner. The nymph skips around us and sings a simple tune with words we do not know. A singing wood nymph is a happy wood nymph. Three of us smile at each other, silently glad that this nymph won't be difficult to deal with.

The nymph stops skipping in order to stop at where Connor stands. Without giving a warning, the nymph pulls strands of Connor's hair. Connor winces in response, but chooses not to complain. He scowls at Angus who is snickering beside him. Unfortunately for Connor, nymphs adore red hair.

Having taken a suitable trade, the nymph gives us three branches of silver birch. One branch for each strand of Connor's hair. After giving our thanks, we walk away silently, choosing to laugh loudly once we are at a safe distance from the birch tree grove. Connor chooses not to laugh, rubbing his head instead.

"That is the tenth time a wood nymph wanted to trade for Connor's hair. Merlin, I'm going to ask the Weasley Clan for hair donations when we get back." Angus comments, laughing as he did.

"Doesn't work mate. Nymphs like red hair from people who are the only red head of the family. Same goes for blondes. If everyone is blonde, they prefer brunettes. Nymphs prefer rare things." I inform.

Connor is not a relative of the Weasleys. But he is the only red head in his family.

"It is a good thing this assignment will be over soon, I fear that I am going to get bald by the time this course is over." Connor says, bringing a small mirror to the top of his head and looking up.

"You'll be fine. You should be worrying about broom makers and wand makers instead of nymphs. One of us might cut all of your hair in your sleep." Angus jokes.

As we walk to the cypress that Angus wants to visit, I notice a tree glowing strongly from a distance.

"Do you see that?" I ask the two, pointing at what appears to be cotton wood.

"That is a very handsome Cotton Wood. But I don't see a nymph." Connor reacts, squinting his eyes.

"Must be hiding behind the tree, I'll go check it out." I tell them, walking on my way.

"Want us to go with you?" Angus asks.

"No, I'll be fine. I've dealt with cotton wood before. I'll see you guys at the camp." I reply.

"Alright, don't take too long. It's getting dark." Connor warns.

Halfway through the way towards the tree, I notice a stone wall. The stone wall is like any typical hedge that kind to be found in provincial areas of Europe. To find a wall set in stone in North America is very strange. But I heard aboriginals in the area practice stone setting, so I think nothing of it and walk on.

Crossing the stone wall, I feel this immense instinct of not belonging in the area. My chest tightens momentarily and I feel a jolt of electricity run through my spine. I sense the hair on my arms and legs rise under the clothes that I wear. My body hesitates as I take tentative steps forward.

I observe my surroundings, making sure that my physical experiences is not due to some magical creature which I wronged, but I see nothing except the typical outline at the other side of the wall. The ominous sensation of being unwanted dissipates as I decide to continue walking towards the tree.

Reaching the tree, I watch it carefully, hoping that my discomfort earlier is not being projected by the cotton wood. But I sense no sensation of animosity similar to what I felt earlier. Perhaps I was just imagining things because the day is ending. Resolved, I focus on looking for the wood nymph.

"Excuse me? Is anyone there?" I call out.

And then a large black creature climbs down from the tree.

The wood nymph is huge and terrifying, hundreds of eyes surround the head of the creature. The nymph smiles at me with thousands of teeth, waving with long sharp claws and walking towards me with long legs that would outrun me even if I try to walk away. Immediately, I bow at the creature.

After taking a bow, I force myself to look at the nymph directly, even though the being is frightening to look at. I gulp loudly but other than that, I keep myself at a professional stance. If I show the nymph further weakness, I can be manipulated. As the nymph circles me like a predator, I hold my breath.

I sigh when the nymph decides to stand in front of me.

"I would like to ask a trade, for a branch from your home." I say slowly, careful not to stutter.

The creature comes closer, until we are face to face with each other.

The eyes of the nymph scrutinizes my face carefully, and then focuses on one specific feature.

My eyes.

With one of its long sharp fingers, the being points at one of my eyes.

The nymph looks at me with expectation.

"You..you want to trade a branch for one of my eyes?" I ask hesitantly.

The wood nymph nods.

My knees weaken and I start to tremble, reacting physically at the creature's request.

I have never been in this situation before.

Although the trade is possible, the trade is also detrimental to me. Of course, I can deny the request, but I have no idea how the wood nymph will react. For a second, I consider giving an eye, denying the creature could mean very dire consequences. I could be killed, just because I do not give an eye.

No. I can't do it. My eye is worth more than any wooden branch.

I need to risk my safety. Rejecting the trade is the best option.

Bringing my knees to the floor and bowing until my forehead touches grass, I pray to Merlin that the nymph will be merciful.

"I am so sorry, wood nymph, I do not wish to trade my eye for a piece of your tree. Please forgive my rudeness towards your offer, I promise that I will not request another trade or cross your path once more. I beg of you, with all due respect, spare my eye and my life." I say to the nymph.

I wait for any physical repercussions with my eyes closed, but there is none. Thinking that the coast is clear, I open my eyes to find the wood nymph is still in front of me. Instead of smiling with sharp teeth, the creature is now baring teeth with contempt. The nymph roars loudly, so loud that my ears hurt.

Finding the nymph obviously upset, I return to my bowing stance. Even though the nymph screams and hits my back with sharp claws, I dare not run. The master broom makers warned us that if we are faced with an angry wood nymph, running will guarantee death. Running is never the option with a nymph.

I could tell that my back is already bleeding from the blows that I have to endure. But I do not retaliate. Even though I have a wand, a wood nymph can move faster than my hand or my words. The beating continues until my knees start to give way, until my arms could not lift myself.

And then finally, I am struck to the ground to the point of losing consciousness.

When I wake up, I am faced with the night. Millions of stars light up the sky, but not as bright as the northern lights that reminds me that I was able to survive the ordeal. I start to smile and laugh with success, but my enthusiasm is instantly removed by the excruciating pain that I feel on my back.

I cannot control the tears that are streaming down, using my good arm, I cover my face out of habit. On occasions such as losing an intense game of quidditch, I would sob uncontrollably. In order to hide my tears, I cover my face with my arm. The habit still continues, even if I do not have an audience.

But when I raise my arm away from my face, I am wrong. There is an audience.

Blocking my view of the aurora is what appears to be a woman. But based on the glittering ebony hair and a horn sticking on the side of her head, I am most likely facing a magical creature. She has large violet irises that are shaped like that of a feline. Her skin is unnaturally pale with a green undertone.

This creature is either a faery or a nymph.

I look around to know that we are in the middle of a meadow. But I find no faery ring nearby, the only residence for magical creatures are trees that are a few feet away from us.

Much to my misfortune, this creature is most likely another wood nymph.

Although I am physically suffering, I raise my upper torso and attempt an improper bow.

"I apologize wood nymph, for my poor gesture of respect to you. But my body is not in a good shape to greet you properly. I am not interested in causing your harm, nor am I interested in trading for a branch of your tree. I just need to rest for a little while, and I will be on my way." I say with a hoarse voice.

"Roll over." The creature says with a soft voice.

"I'm..I'm sorry?" I react. I heard what the nymph said, but I cannot believe it.

"I said, roll over." The nymph repeats, pushing my left shoulder and hips with her hands.

I do as I was told and make no sudden movements as she rips my shirt in order to expose my back.

"You can..you can talk?" I ask, more curious about how she is speaking to me instead of why she wants me on my back.

"I am a half blood. Part of me is a wood nymph and the other part is human." She informs as she removes debris and other foreign objects from the skin of my back.

"How is that..how is that even possible?" I say, cringing as she cleans my back with what appears to be a wound cleansing potion which she takes out of her satchel.

"Use your imagination." She simply replies, stuffing a linden tree branch on my mouth before pouring healing salve on my wounds and massaging the ointment without delay. I bite on the branch gratefully, the salve might be working well but her rubbing and kneading is anything but gentle.

Biting on the linden branch, the pain I feel is reducing as expected. Even though her massage is ruthless, my back is miraculously less marred. I can sense the deep puncture wounds closing up faster than I expected. The healing salve she uses is powerful, not an ordinary salve used for healing purposes.

Within fifteen minutes, I can sit up properly in order to drink the birch water she offers.

As I drink the birch water slowly, she continues to meticulously work on my back.

"Linden wood is used to deal with pain, and birch water has both healing and nutritional properties." I tell her, trying to drown the awkward silence. "You know your trees more than the average..person." I point out with hesitation, since I do not know if I should refer to her as creature or human.

"Humans are also creatures. Other than being immortals, wood nymphs have very little difference to that of a person." She says as she puts more of her healing salve on my back.

"Yes well..I don't want to offend you but..the wood nymph that attacked me might want to argue with your reasonable perspective." I try to make the conversation light, but she stops her healing gestures in order to bend over and look at me with interest.

"Who is the wood nymph that attacked you? Is it the Black Cotton Wood nymph?" She asks me.

"Black Cotton Wood?" I question, groaning at my mistake.

Of course. I should have checked first if the Cotton Wood is Black or any other variant. If the Cotton Wood tree was Black Cotton Wood, then I made a very stupid mistake.

"I don't know..it was a Cotton Wood nymph. But I don't know if it the tree was Black Cotton Wood, I didn't bother to check." I inform her.

"There is only one Cotton Wood tree in this entire forest, and the tree is Black Cotton Wood." She slaps my uninjured arm with disappointment that I can understand. "You were attacked by Abbadon. That wood nymph is a monster. You must have given him immense respect in order to spare your life."

"I am currently studying the extraction of enchanted wood so..I give the credit to master broom makers and my current adviser." I reply with a painful laugh, but she continues to look irritated towards me.

"Whether you are a novice or a master, as a wizard who resound with the wood element, you should know better not to trade with a Black Cotton Wood nymph. They are dangerous!" She scolds.

"You know my profession well, for a wood nymph." I say, surprised that she knows that wizards who have a magical core resounding with the wood element specialize in enchanted wood extraction.

"I am not just a wood nymph, I am also a witch. My father is a wizard who specializes in making wands. I would like to help him in his trade one day. As an apprentice, it is my duty to learn about other professions that use enchanted wood." She informs, healing my remaining injuries.

"You also make an accurate wound cleansing potion and a very strong healing salve, does that mean that your mother was an Oenone Nymph? I read that Oeonone Nymphs have mastered the herbal healing arts of the gods. What ingredients did you use as a base for your salve?" I question.

"How do you know that I make my own healing items?" She says, pausing from giving me treatment.

"Your healing items cannot be made sufficiently by any Apothecary. I should know because I have had many injuries before as a quidditch player, none of the healing potions or salves in the wizard realm can work as well as yours. You should share your knowledge of herbs to the world." I compliment.

"You know nymphs well, for a human. But not enough." She counters, wrapping my wounds with a version of gauze that looks like thin translucent sea weed. "Yes, my mother is an Oenone nymph. However, as an Oenone, I am forbidden to share our healing knowledge to humans." She informs.

"That is a shame." I tell her, watching as she covers my back with more of the strange sea weed.

"These sea weed patches will help with the healing process. Eventually your skin will absorb the patches and the patches will disappear. Your injuries will be gone in a few hours." She says.

"Oh..okay. Thank you for your help." I tell her, she looks away in response.

"No problem." She answers, keeping her healing materials on her satchel. "Abbadon asked for one of your eyes, didn't he?" She guesses.

"Yes. How did you know?" I question.

"Black Cotton Wood Nymph collect eyes of wizards who resound with the wood element. Other than that, your eyes are colored green. Irises that are colored green guarantees precise empathy for all magical creatures as well as instinctual understanding of natural phenomenon." She informs.

"Useful information. I'll make sure to remember what you said, the next time I deal with a black cotton wood nymph." I say as a witty remark.

"As you should." She simply replies, not catching my witticism.

"My name is Oliver. What is your name, by the way?"

"My name is Gwendolen."

As she sorts her things, I get a closer look of her appearance. Like any Oenone nymph, she is adorned with metal accessories. Her arms and ankles have numerous silver and gold bangles. Her neck has a chain which holds what I assume to be an obsidian gem for protection. Most of her fingers have rings.

Unlike an Oenone nymph however, or any nymph for the matter, she does not have a glowing or mist-like outline around her. Since she does not expel light or fog, she is not associated with a mountain or forest dwelling which Oenone are known for. Her appearance is more human than a naiad or nymph.

Having sorted her things, she stands and offers her hand. I accept her help and find that I can stand without much assistance. I smile at her with gratitude, she smiles back but in an uncomfortable manner.

"Well then Gwendolen, I guess this is good bye. I should not take up more of your time and I have to get back to my colleagues who are waiting at a camp not far from here. Again, thank you for your help. We should keep in touch so that I can do something for you in return, if you want me to." I say.

I offer my hand to her which she reluctantly takes with hers, and then I give her a careful handshake.

"Actually, I have something that I would like to request from you." She says, looking at me cautiously.

"Oh all right. It is very late in the evening and all, but you did save my life. What can I do for you?" I ask with expectation, willing to return the favor as soon as possible.

"I would like to pay my human father a visit, but leaving the forest is not possible for a nymph. Nymphs, like any magical creature, live in another dimension despite being in the same universe. Although I am half human, being a nymph prevents me from being part of the human dimension."

She curls her glittering black hair nervously as she continues to explain her predicament.

"So, like any other nymph, I can only remain in this forest. I cannot visit my father who cannot write me letters or meet me in person because he is already too old and too ill. Unless nymphs have a formal agreement with a human, a nymph cannot be a part of the dimension of humans." She explains.

"Okay.." I respond, nodding as I absorb the information she gave. "Alright...how does this formal agreement work?" I inquire. To my surprise, her problematic face is replaced by an excited expression.

"Are you going to do my request? Will you do the formal agreement?" She asks.

"Sure, sounds simple enough." I tell her.

She astonishes me even more by crying in front of me. She must miss her father so much.

"There, there. It's okay. We'll work this out. You'll meet you father soon." I say, patting her back. I wipe her tears and then she astounds me by giving me an unexpected hug. After a few minutes, she mumbles gratitude and gives me space to gather my bag and jacket. I leave my torn shirt and we start walking.

"So, how does this formal agreement work? Do I just accompany you outside the forest or do I have do some sort of ceremony or something? If the ceremony will take days, I have to tell the guys that I am with." I ask, confident that the formal agreement must be within my capacity of accomplishing.

"The formal agreement is very simple. We just have to consummate our union." She answers.

"Ah consummate our union, and how do we do that exactly?" I continue to question.

"Both of us will have sexual intercourse with each other." She says without looking uncomfortable or disturbed that I could not believe the words that she just told me.

"Sexual intercourse with each other..wait..what?" I react with disbelief.

She looks at me funny, but decides to explain further.

"You know, when a man uses his private organ in order to enter a woman's private organ. A man's private organ is a penis and a woman's private organ is a vagina." She says with no shame.

"I know what sexual intercourse means!" I say raising my voice, finding her audacious explanation to be so strange. "What I don't understand is how sexual intercourse is related to this formal agreement that you would want me to do. Sex is inappropriate as an agreement for anything." I tell her patiently.

"Sexual intercourse is a formal agreement between a man and a woman in order to share their worlds with each other. Even in the ways of the Nymph, a formal agreement requires sexual intercourse."

"What exactly is a formal agreement for nymphs, hm? Does getting a tree from another nymph require a formal agreement? Should a male nymph have consummation with another male nymph when both of them want to have a truce in an argument?" I say, exasperated at such an odd means of communication.

Gwendolen slaps me on the face.

"Like humans, nymphs consider sexual intercourse a sacred act. If we are both of the same gender, a formal agreement is not possible. Formal agreements are not also done for small meagre things. Don't you dare ridicule or mock what you do not understand." She warns.

I sigh.

"Then make me understand better, because I find it difficult to understand." I reply.

"Formal agreements are done in order to ensure a strong bond with another. A bond that crosses dimensions. If we have a bond, I can easily cross into the human dimension. I will no longer be bound to this forest as every nymph should be. I can go where I please, I can finally see my father again."

"Your explanation sounds metaphorical and abstract. You can't expect me to believe that paranormal limitations can be solved with something as simple as sex." I debate.

"And yet you were asking if there is a ceremony that you need to do in order to have a formal agreement? Isn't a ceremony more simple compared to consummation?" She counters.

"How can you be so sure that sexual intercourse is the formal agreement that you require?" I question, combing my hair with my fingers in frustration.

"Because my mother was able to be with my father in the human dimension, before I was born. When I was conceived, she returned to the forest in order to have me. And then, as soon as I am old enough to be on my own, she is able to go back to the human dimension without problems." She explains.

"Couples have sex all the time, a formal agreement cannot be based on that. Is that the only solution that you came up with? Based on one single situation? How can that formal agreement be logical, based on the situation of your parents alone?" I automatically assume that her basis is narrow-minded.

"Several other nymphs had the same situation. The formal agreement of sexual intercourse is the only similarity that they have with each other." She says with an agitated voice, I could tell that she is doubting my resolve to help her. "Why are you fighting with me over this? Is the task difficult for you?"

She starts crying again. But this time, instead of tears of joy, she is crying out of hopelessness and desperation. I look at her with concern and guilt, but I do not want to console her too much. I still find her terms to be bizarre, even though I owe her an arm and a leg for treating my wounds.

"Do you not want to have a formal agreement because I am a half blood?" She presumes unfairly. "Is it because I do not look like a human girl? Is that the reason why you do not want to consummate with me? You do not consider me beautiful or pretty? Is that it?" She continues to speculate.

"No, no, no. None of that is true. I don't want the agreement, not because you're a half-blood or if you're not beautiful. Nothing like that." I assure here, gathering her in my arms. "Whether you are a human or a nymph, or both, you are beautiful and you should know that." I tell her truthfully.

She shakes her head in denial, but permits me to hold her.

As I hold on to her, I sway her gently as a means of comfort.

"Oliver, why are you moving me back and forth?" She asks in between sobs. I smile, liking the fact that she regards me by my name for the first time throughout our conversation.

"I'm trying to comfort you. Do you not like it?"

"I like it. My father and mother used to move back and forth with me as well."

"Do they give you hugs too?" I ask, seeing as she does not seem uncomfortable with the idea of hugging.

"Yes." She simply answers.

I close my eyes and rest my chin on top of her head, finding the words to explain to her.

After gathering my thoughts, I bring my hand on her shoulders and separate her from me gently.

"I know this formal agreement is important to you, I understand that. But sexual intercourse should only be done if two people who have feelings for each other. Do you think you love me?"

"I..I don't thinks so. But I do like you." She admits.

"Exactly. Your parents had the right to do the formal agreement because they love each other. But you do not love me, right? And even though I like you too, that doesn't mean we love each other. You miss your father, I get that. But you should consummate with someone you love." I conclude.

"I guess you're right." She accepts with a sniffle.

"Don't worry, when I get back to the human dimension. I'm going to come back here and introduce you with as many men as you want. One of them will surely fall in love with you." I tell her with a grin.

She nods her head reluctantly.

"Now then, if you can please point me to the right direction, I'll go back to my camp and find you a bloke as fast as I can." I say, wearing my coat because the night is getting cold.

"You can't." She says.

"What do you mean I can't?" I ask, grabbing the strap of my bag.

"You can't go back to your camp because you're not in the human dimension." She expounds,

"I'm not in the human dimension? Well then how do I get back to my dimension?"

"You can't leave." She states.

"Why not?" I say with a confused knot on my forehead.

"Didn't you cross that stone wall when you got here?" She asks, pointing at the stone wall that I went through hours ago.

"Yes."

"That wall is the boundary of the Nymph dimension from the Human dimension. Since you went through the wall, you cannot return back to your dimension."

"That doesn't make sense. The wall is right there, I just have to cross it." I say denying her statement. After giving her a light hug, I make my way to the wall without delay. As much as I would like to interact with her more, Angus and Connor might be worried that I have been gone for so long.

"I'll be on my way now Gwendolen. I'll make sure to come back here with a lot of guys who would like to meet with you." I tell her, giving a wave.

"Oliver, wait." She says, but does not protest any further.

When I reach the wall, I identify a broken area and cross the wall with ease. Now it is just a matter of finding the camp. But as I walk away from the wall, I realize that I do not see any familiar signs or trees that will guide me back to camp. Nevertheless I walked on, but I start to wonder after an hour.

From the horizon, I see another stone wall, thinking that the camp will just be on the other side, I cross the wall, but still I could not find Angus and Connor. I walk again for another hour, but this time I avoid the wall as much as possible. However, no matter what direction I go, I am always faced with a wall.

Eventually the sun rises, and then I end up walking until the afternoon.

Before I know it, I walked for an entire day. And then I can see the moon above me.

Exhausted and not willing to wander any further, I decided to look for a safe place for the night. Scanning the area from a hill, I notice faint light that looks like a bonfire. Excited, I make my way towards the light, hoping that I finally found Angus and Connor. But as I went closer, I do not see any tents.

Instead of tents, I see the bonfire and what appears to be a small dwelling on one side. The dwelling seems to be a small cottage underneath a large cave. The cottage is manmade, not in any way created or designed by magical creatures. Seeing the cottage is rather assuring to me.

As, I approach the fire, I hear noise coming out of the dwelling. Not wanting to scare whoever lives there, I hide myself at the nearest tree and carefully catch a glimpse of whoever lives at the cottage. A person opens the door and takes a seat by the fire, the person is a familiar face.

The person is Gwendolen.

Realizing who it was, I reveal myself from my hiding place. Hearing my footsteps, she turns to face me. She smiles and continues with what she is doing. She is currently skewering pieces of meat which she then roasts by the fire. Silently, I take my seat next to her. She then passes me some cooked meat.

"I was able to hunt a deer, the meat is tougher than rabbit, but just as good." She says.

I look at the food she gave me with longing. I haven't eaten anything for hours. After wolfing down what was offered to me, she gives me more, as well as some hot sweet potatoes and warm birch water.

When my stomach settled, I look at her calm demeanor with acceptance.

"You were right, I couldn't find my way back to my friends. The camp was supposed to be close by, but I have been walking for miles and I still couldn't get back. I'm not in the same place that I was in yesterday." I admit with a tired sigh, resting my elbows on my knees and propping my face on my hands.

"When you crossed the stone wall, you separated yourself from your own dimension. The only way back to your own dimension is if you have a formal agreement with someone from this dimension." She states, cooking the remains of the meat that she prepared and taking out potatoes from hot coal.

"I was afraid that you are going to say that." I tell her.

"I'm sorry, if there is any other way. I would have told you." She says sincerely.

"I believe you." I assure, finally understanding a miniscule part of this peculiar situation.

I look at the stars above us, I notice that the northern lights are not showing this time. But at least I can see the stars better. Noticing the countless bright stars before me, I start to wonder if Gwendolen has someone else with her in this place. Based on how she moves, she appears to live on her own.

"Is this your home?" I ask.

"Yes. My father made it for me and my mother a long time ago."

"Are you the only one who lives here?" I query further.

"I am the only nymph in this forest who requires a home. I cannot dwell in trees or any structure like other nymphs. I have human visitors from time to time, but they do not stay long." She replies.

"Didn't you have a formal agreement with any of your human visitors?"

"All of my human visitors are already in a relationship with a nymph. You are the only one who did not seem to be in a relationship."

"Why did you assume that I am not in a relationship with someone? What if I have a human girlfriend at home?" I counter.

"Why would you come alone? Shouldn't the one you love be always with you?" She questions.

I laugh. She can be naïve in many ways, but she does have a point.

"Well, your assumption is correct. I'm not in a relationship right now. I can't seem to keep a girl by my side, my career always comes first. Specifically my fascination for quidditch and brooms." I confide.

"If the women that you were with decided to leave you, you never had a relationship with them." She states with a scoff and an expression of being absolutely sure.

"And you based your opinion on what? On your past relationships?" I react lightly with a laugh.

"I have dated nymphs, but I have never been on a relationship before. My mother and father however, I know they were in a relationship. I know because, my mother chose to be in the human dimension even though she will become mortal. She decided that she wanted to be by my father's side, even in death."

She goes back to the fire, taking out the rest of the food that are now cooked and putting them on a container.

"Humans can have all the time in the world in this realm. But when they go back to the human realm, all of their loved ones have grown old and have died. It would be too much for my father to stay. So my mother decided to go with him."

Gwendolen expresses sadness with a trembling sigh, before she adds a log on the fire.

"On the last letter of my father, I learned my mother passed away. If both of my parents stayed in this realm. Both of them should have been alive." She adds.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." I respond, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't be. Every time my parents visited me, they look so happy together. Leaving me here was painful for them, but my father would feel so alone if he stayed here. Although it took me some time, I understand why my father did not want to stay. Being the only human here is not a pleasant feeling."

Witnessing her smile and look back at the lights above us, made me realize a crucial fact.

She understands her father because part of her is human.

As a half human, she may never belong to this dimension that she is in.

She may have fellow nymphs with her, she can have relationships with them. A family even.

But she will always feel different.

She will always have a mortal void that will make her wonder about existence beyond living.

She gazes at the stars and breathes deeply.

"Even the stars need company, don't you think?" She says with a broken smile.

Her statement feels like a stab on my heart.

Every mortal longs for an end to the journey of life. But nymphs do not.

Nymphs do not see the essence of time, which is why they never think about the future.

But as a half blood, she does, and she values what any mortal values. Nymphs will never understand. Unless they understand mortals. She understands, she knows the fragility of human life.

Just like any mortal, loneliness will haunt her. But unlike any mortal, her loneliness may not end.

All this time she was alone. Caught in between, with no one to be with her.

But she doesn't have to be alone forever.

"Gwendolen." I call out to her, getting her attention.

I lean in to her and draw her face with my hand, and then I kiss her on the lips.

At first, she did not know what to do. But when I pull her to my lap, causing her to gasp and giving me the opportunity to deepen the kiss with my tongue, she kisses back. Her response was reluctant at first, she didn't know what to do with her hands so I encouraged her to hold on to my neck or my back.

After kissing her thoroughly, I break the kiss so both of us could have some air.

Also, so that I can explain myself.

"I don't know if the formal arrangement will work. But if that is what you want to do, I'm going to do the arrangement for you."

"Didn't you say that sexual intercourse should be done by couples who love each other?" She asks.

"I know, and I still believe that. But after getting to know you better, I realize that I now like you even more than any girl that I have been with. And since none of the girls I dated are with me right now, that would mean that I never did love them in the first place and they never loved me either." I reason.

She tilts her head, expecting further details.

"I think I can love you, Gwendolen. But being in this dimension is preventing me from knowing that. I also want you to see my dimension as well, find your father and meet him. After that, who knows? Maybe I can take you out on a proper date, and maybe we can actually have a relationship." I explain.

She smiles, her eyes brimming with tears.

"If I am in a relationship with you, I am never leaving your side." She says, resting her hand on my chest.

"Looking forward to that." I reply with a grin.

Tucking my right arm underneath her knees and my left arm on her back, I lift her up and make my way to her home. She opens the door to her cottage and then closes the door when we arrive inside; with some awkward turns, I am able to locate the bed due to a wisp lantern that glows at the background.

Sitting on one side of the bed, we started taking off our clothes. She giggles when I struggle in taking off my boots, I close my eyes as she shyly takes of her top and then her undergarments. When we are completely undressed, I pull the top cover and envelope the both of us with the inner blanket.

Easing her on the mattress and then positioning myself above her, I kiss her slowly on the lips as she adjust with my proximity. I rest some of my weight on her, keeping my knees bent so that she wouldn't carry too much of my body. Feeling her soft figure, I could not control my hips from pushing forward.

She gasps as I steadily move my hips, simultaneously pressing my hand on her breast and teasing her nipple with my mouth. After some time of caressing her, her breathing becomes shorter and her hips start to follow the same movements of my own. She becomes rigid when I finger her vagina.

She's ready for me.

Slowly, I raise her hips and let her legs wrap around my waist.

In order to make her relax, I press my left hand on her back to raise her upper torso. I lavish her breast with attention as I massage her clit. She moans when my tongue rubs her teat at the same time that I stroke her folds. Her body becomes more pliable, and then she tightens her legs on my torso.

Resting her head back on the pillow, I slow down my ministrations and rub my throbbing penis on her thigh, in order for her to be prepared for what comes next. Her body starts to tremble so I bring my lips to her mouth and sooth her with my tongue. When she stops shivering, I raise my chest and gaze at her.

"Gwendolen, look at me." I tell her.

She looks back nervously, but her expression softens as she focuses on my face.

"Tell me if you want to stop." I say reluctantly, my body not agreeing with my statement.

She smiles and strokes my hair, bringing me closer.

"The color is truly striking. A beautiful shade of green." She says, looking at my eyes.

"I can give my eyes to you, if you want. So long as I can look at you endlessly." I say with a grin.

She laughs lightly, causing her breast to rub on me, bruising my self-control.

She tips my chin and kisses me on the lips lightly.

"I'd rather have all of you." She murmurs.

My resolve strengthens with her words.

Gathering her to my arms, she inhales sharply as I slowly enter her. Her nails dig into the skin of my back, but she does not push me away. Having filled her completely, I start pushing into her at a slow pace. She makes the most delicious noises as I grate into her, coaxing me to move faster and harder.

She whimpers when I raise one of her legs, touching her at a spot that pushes me further.

"Oliver.." She beckons, searching for my face.

She kisses me on the lips, invading my mouth with her tongue that pushes and pulls at the same time that I drive into her. I start to tremble as her actions overwhelm me. When she pushes her hips in order to meet mine, my thrusts become more erratic and painful to be bear. But she meets me perfectly.

She's so perfect, and beautiful. And I couldn't hold on any longer.

"Oliver..I'm almost there..I'm so close.." She says in between pants. When she arches her back and trembles involuntarily, I continue to push into her throughout her orgasm. I link my hands on hers to keep her steady, and then thrust into her a few more times to catch up with her climax.

As I spill into her, I notice that the nerves on our skin are showing. Starting from where we connect, our veins are turning to a radiating shade of copper brown. The veins on our faces are also prominent, and then I feel this sensation of being completely aware of her presence. I can feel everything about her.

Suddenly I have this insatiable urge to know her more, feel her thoroughly. I start to harden inside her again, and then my stamina is revitalized. She yelps as I flip her over and start fucking her from behind. The feeling of being inside her is so intense that I just want to strengthen this growing bond.

A bond that transcends time and space, a bond that defies borders.

"Yes..more..harder..deeper..Oliver..ah.." She urges me with her moans which are turning into cries of pure bliss. I let her lie on her back again and then raise both of her legs, making her eyes widen in surprise as I continue to pound into her. We gaze into each other until we feel a familiar release.

I groan as I release myself a second time, pressing my forehead unto hers and closing my eyes.

As we start to calm down from the highs, the veins on our bodies started to go back to normal.

I look at her in awe, stunned that I truly experienced a paranormal union with her.

The formal agreement is accomplished.

At a loss of words, I kiss her as I separate myself. And then we lie side by side from each other.

When our bodies have calmed down, I trace the outline of her face with my" fingers.

"That was..amazing." She expresses with content.

"Yeah..incredible." I reply, brimming with joy that she is sated.

"Should we try crossing the wall?" She asks with excitement.

"What? Now?" I say, surprised that she want to go so soon.

"Let's go." She says, pulling me out of the bed and making her way to our garments with quivering legs.

"Shouldn't we rest a little bit?" I suggest with an amused grin.

"We can rest once we reach the other side of the wall." She insists, passing my clothes and bag to me.

I laugh but do not resist as I put my coat and pants on, meeting her by the entrance without delay.

We leave the cottage and pass the dying bonfire, cross the meadow, and then went through several tree groves until we reach the stone wall. We stand at the familiar wall for a few seconds, and then she grabs my hand. Her hand is cold and trembling but her face is determined. She spares me a smile.

I squeeze her hand, tightening my hold on her as we find a broken part of the wall. I take the first step without delay, not letting her hand go as we pass. This time, instead of an uncomfortable feeling of trespassing, I feel the sensation of belonging. My instincts are telling me that I have returned.

Keeping her close to me, I look around to find familiar groves and a familiar path. I hear a group of people shouting my name from the distance, lights from wands are flashing around. From the group of voices, I hear the familiar voices of Connor and Angus. Surprisingly, I also hear the voice of my adviser.

"Oliver, where are you?" My adviser bellows, waving his glowing wand like a mad man.

"Over here!" I shout back, waving at the group enthusiastically.

Having heard my voice, the lights from their wands blind us for a few seconds. And then they started running towards our direction, shouting in reaction to finding me. As we wait for the party, I pull Gwendolen to a tight hug which she returns. She looks up to me with tears of relief.

"So, what do you want to do first?" I ask her.

"I'm going to see my father of course. He's going to be so overjoyed to see me!" She gushes.

"Do you know where he lives? Maybe I can take you there." I offer.

"My father lives at Diagon Alley South Side. London, England." She informs.

The address is familiar. Very familiar.

"He lives above his wand shop known as.."

"Ollivanders. Ollivanders Wand Shop." I finish for her.

"You know my father's shop? His wands must be very famous." She says proudly.

"Are you..is your father Garrick Ollivander?" I continue to question.

"Who is Garrick Ollivander? Is he my cousin? My father's name is Gerbold Octavius Ollivander." She states, causing me to gape at her.

"Gerbold Ollivander..that's..he's Garrick Ollivander's great grandfather." I tell her, covering my mouth before I say anything else that might make the truth difficult to hear.

Do I have to tell her that her father is already dead?

"What's wrong?" She asks with worry, noticing my stunned reaction.

"Gwendolen, I don't know how to say this but..the average life expectancy of a wizard is between 120 to 150 years old. You father existed three centuries ago." I tell her slowly.

"What are you..what are you saying?" She says, tears falling from her eyes.

She understands. She knows what I am trying to say.

I rest my hands on her shoulders, sharing her grief.

"I'm sorry Gwendolen. Your father passed away a long time ago." I finally tell her.

"No, no you're wrong. The last time I saw my father was thirty three years ago. He should still be alive." She says, denying the truth.

"I'm a pureblood, I had to memorize every family tree of the sacred twenty eight. I saw your family tree and I read your father died in 1845. It has been more than one hundred years since his death." I explain.

She collapses to her knees and cries, and I can do nothing to keep her from the pain. I gather her into my arms and stroke her back soothingly.

"I'm all alone." She says with a wounded voice that can shatter any man's soul.

Before I could utter another word, I notice lights and hear sounds coming from behind us. Alarmed, I move in front of her in order to keep her from any danger.

"Oliver, are you okay?" Angus asks from a few feet away, stepping out with other men who are also wielding wands.

"I'm fine." I reply, relaxing from my defensive stance.

"How did you survive here out on your own?" Connor asks as they make their way towards us.

"I wasn't alone. I have someone with me." I say, pointing behind my back.

They peer behind me and look at each other with worry.

"No one is behind you, boy." My adviser says.

"She's over here." I say, stepping away and looking at where she should be.

But she is not there. She's gone.

"What the..she was here a few seconds ago." I tell them, looking around to find her. "Gwendolen, where are you? It's okay, these men won't hurt you. You can come out." I say.

"Oliver, are you sure you're okay?" Angus questions, looking at me like I lost my mind.

"Someone was here with me, I swear. I just..I don't know where she went." I insist, recalling how vulnerable she is after I told her that her father died.

"Gwendolen, you're going to be okay. Please come out." I tell her, but no one replies back. In a panic, I start circling the area but my rescuers are keeping me from searching any further.

"Brother, no one is here. You must be hallucinating after being on your own for five days. We should go see a healer and check your vitals. Okay?" Connor says.

"Five days? I was only lost for more than twenty four hours, what are you talking about?" I correct.

The group look at me funny.

"Mate, you were missing for five days. We were supposed to call off the search tonight, but thank Godric's balls that we were able to find you. You must have hit your head somewhere." Angus states, approaching me with caution. "We need to leave Oliver, no one is here with you." He insists.

"Gwendolen! Gwendolen come out, please!" I shout, looking at the darkness in desperation. She must have thought that her father's death is too much to bear. She must have decided to leave.

She must have returned to the other side of the wall.

"Someone was with here with me, we came through those stone walls." I say looking behind, to find that the stone wall is not where it used to be.

The stone wall is gone.

"No..there was a stone wall behind me. It was right there! I'm serious!" I tell them, but they do not look convinced. Seeing as I am not making any sense, Angus and Connor grab me by the arms. I push them away and run to where the wall used to be. I search for signs of life, but I find nothing.

"Gwendolen! You're not alone! You have me!" I shout in vain, but still no one replies.

I was about to shout some more, but then I hear someone cast a binding spell towards me. Three men started carrying me without consent.

"I'm telling you the truth! I was in another dimension that was on the other side of a tall stone wall. I was lost but I came back with someone who helped me. We have to find her!" I protest.

"Wait..did you say you were in a different dimension?" One of the rescuers ask. The rescuer is one of the master broom makers who I recognize.

"Yes, yes I was." I affirm gladly.

"Were you in the dimension of the nymphs?" He continues to confirm, I nod in response. He crosses his arms and regards me with an impressed look on his face. "You were spirited away boy. The same experience happened to me when I saw a lovely Aspen from the other side of the wall." He says.

"You saw the wall too?" I ask, peering down at the master broom maker.

"I saw the stone wall, but dare not cross. I wanted to know what the dimension is like, but I was a coward and I had this feeling that I may not return. I was in Ireland at the time." He continues.

"Ireland? But that is millions of miles away from here." Connor points out, giving me an apologetic look as we continue to leave the area.

"The stone walls appear in random places, they won't show up at the same place twice. I should know because I couldn't find the stone walls at the same place I found them."

He pats me on the shoulder to console me.

"I don't know how you were able to get back. But perhaps it is for the best. Time in that dimension is different from ours. Maybe that is why you think you were only lost for a day. If you stayed there any longer, perhaps you would have been lost for months or even years without you knowing."

I do not know how to react with his statement. But it makes a lot of sense.

All this time, she must not have known that time in the human dimension is different.

Maybe the truth about her father's death was too much for her to bear.

Maybe she went back to her dimension, without telling me.

Maybe she thought that she no longer had a reason to stay.

Maybe she..doesn't want to be with me.

Hopeless, I let them carry me back to civilization.

A week after I was rescued, I went back to Alaska to search for the wall. But I couldn't find it. I searched for a month, looking at places where the walls might show up. I intentionally delayed my progress to finishing my advanced course, reasoning to my adviser that I did not collect enough enchanted wood.

Instead of finding the wall, I end up with piles of extra enchanted wood that the master broom makers are more than pleased to exploit. Enchanted wood is expensive, so I sell most of the wood that I gathered in order to pay for my travel expenses. Despite searching everywhere I could not find the wall.

I could not find her.

After a few months, my experience beyond the stone wall is more like a distant dream.

I decided to stop searching for the wall, and move on with my life.

If she ever existed..she would never want me to waste my time.

"Ollivanders would like to trade Alder branches for a bundle of Cotton Wood. Do you have some?" Angus asks, disturbing me from my thoughts.

"Sure. I'll drop by as soon as I finish this mount." I reply, carving the end of a handsome yew for a Fire bolt prototype.

I have my own enchanted brooms shop now, the shop specializes in customized enchanted brooms. Although Connor and Angus finished their advanced course ahead of me, they applied to become suppliers and craftsmen of my shop as soon as I completed the course required for my specialization.

Business is great.

I get a lot of attention for providing quality enchanted brooms. I was even interviewed by The Daily Prophet about my experience as a retired professional quidditch player who decided to create brooms and work on wood for a living. The public never get tired of using my last name as an ironic pun.

The ironic pun is so catchy that I decided to use it for my shop's catch phrase:

 _Welcome to Woods, Oliver Wood's shop. In Woods, wood likes to work with Wood._

Hearing the catch phrase on the radio and television always brighten my day.

I mean come on, it really is a good hilarious pun.

Most of the time, I focus on the shop. But every now and then, shops would like to purchase or request a trade for enchanted wood that are out of stock or out of season. Therefore, other than the shop, I also supply common to rare enchanted woods for shops who require such materials.

Making my way to Ollivanders shop, I open Ollivander's door to see Garrick Ollivander and his son arguing about not having enough dragon heart string for a customer's wand.

"It's not my fault that the new apprentice is squeamish about dealing with hearts of any creature!" Gentian tells his father who is fuming.

"Garret is your apprentice, which means he is your problem. If you can't even teach your younger brother properly, how do you expect me to leave this shop to you?" Garrick reasons.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I'm here with the cotton wood you would like to trade with." I tell them, not wanting them to think that I am eavesdropping.

"Ah yes, do come in Mr. Oliver. I'm sorry you have to witness me and my son making a fuss. Please have a seat and one of our apprentices will be trading with you. As much as I would like to trade with you in person, I would like to continue my conversation with my son privately, we shall take our leave."

"It's all right dad, you trade with Oliver. I'll fix the wand that Garret messed up." Gentian states.

"No, no. Our conversation is very serious. We must discuss further at home." Garrick insists, pushing his son outside the shop.

"At home? But dad, we can't just leave the shop. It's only 9:00 in the morning." Gentian responds.

"Just do as I say boy!" Garrick scolds before giving me a toothy grin that is a rare sight to see. "Don't worry Mr. Oliver, someone will get back to you soon. Look at our wares while you wait." He instructs.

I hesitantly nod and decide to sort out the cotton wood that I intend to trade. Taking the bundle of enchanted wood from my bag, I put the cotton wood on top of the long glass desk. Underneath the glass, I notice a wand that is similar to mine. Aspen wand edged with cypress and dark walnut.

"A nice collection of cotton wood you have here." A woman's voice comments, disrupting me from admiring the wand encased in the glass desk before me.

"Only the best from Woods." I reply automatically, not wanting to be interrupted from taking a closer look at the wand. The wand is a very impressive replica of my own wand.

"We will gladly trade your cotton wood for our alder branches." The lady says before passing a box to me, blocking my view of the wand I was looking at. Seeing the alder in front of me, I raise my brows in surprise. The alder branches have the same enchanted quality as the wood that I offer.

"Your alder branches are quite impressive as well. Bartering with the Alder nymph must have been difficult." I compliment.

"Trading with nymphs are rather difficult. Once I finish my apprenticeship, I'm looking forward to specializing in the extraction of enchanted wood." She informs.

"Oh, what a coincidence. That is actually my specialization. I gained a lot of experiences and travelled to many places by taking that advanced course." I reply. Looking forward to an animated conversation on enchanted wood extraction, I look up to a familiar face.

"I would love to hear about your experiences and the places that you have been, over a cup of tea." She says with a tremble on her voice, and a dazzling smile that I overlooked so much. Her violet irises are still entrancing to behold, and the horn on the side of her head is endearing to see.

"Gwendolen." I whisper.

"Oliver." She replies.

I stand from where I sat and pull her towards me, leaning in and kissing her without permission. She kisses me back and I curse the desk that is keeping her away from me. I feel drops of water falling to her face, but she was not the one who is crying. Using her fingers, she wipes away the tears from my eyes.

She reminds me of pine, of aspen, of birch, of cedar. She reminds of every tree that I care for.

She reminds me of every wood variant that I know.

Wood always fascinated me.

But nothing is fascinating compared to this moment.

"When you said that I'm not alone..did you mean it?" She asks shyly.

"You are not alone, Gwendolen. You will always have me." I reply, saying the words that I said when I thought I lost her. Saying the words that I will never tire to say, for the rest of my life.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. I do own my right to fantasize. See what I did there?

Chapter Two – Dragon and Water

.

I love water.

I love the feel of water being either cool or hot, depending on the temperature.

I love how it is distinct from the area where it originated.

I love how water bends freely, encompassing space like it was meant to be there.

But most of all, I love how radiant I feel, every time I am immersed in it.

I always loved water, how it glistens when it collides on my skin.

Once in a while, when I have water on me, I emulate a golden glow.

I have no idea why, but my skin radiates into a sun-kissed hue when I occasionally touch liquid.

The glowing is especially obvious to me if I get in contact with clear water.

What is really odd is that no one else sees how my skin glows. Not even my parents.

It took me a while to realize that glowing when skin touches water is not a normal thing. It does not help that I am a witch, because I assumed that any form of water in the wizarding world would make skin glow a golden hue. Eventually, I learned that my skin reaction to water is not a natural phenomenon.

After years of research, I learned that skin that have a golden hue when exposed to water is a way for dragon hybrids to know if I could be their soul mate. In the event that my skin glows, apparently the person who is destined for me is nearby, trying to identify his destined lover from a sea of people.

I thought it was ridiculous, to be honest.

And after finishing the final year in Hogwarts, the glowing never occurred again.

And then, after ten years, I have forgotten all about the gold hue of my skin when it reacts to water.

But then I read from the Quibbler today, that a dragon hybrid was able to locate her mate a few weeks ago. From the picture next to the article, I saw the hybrid now happily married to her husband, showing a delicate smile and a satisfied composure. The dragon hybrid looks like any average woman.

However, like all the dragon hybrids that I saw from my research, the woman is also blonde.

Platinum blonde, a rare gene that even muggleborns have difficulty to sustain.

Both the dragon hybrid and her husband looked so happy, contented with life.

Whereas I, am still figuring out how I should live my life at the age of twenty nine.

I didn't think much about my possible soul mate who could be a dragon hybrid.

I never did believe in soul mates, and choosing your spouse based on glowing skins is so primitive.

But after reading that article, I began to wonder whether finding my soul mate is important.

I feel like there is something missing in my supposedly content life.

After the war, I work with Harry and Ron as an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. Specifically, I work enabling law and rights for magical creatures. It is a daunting task, but I would never trade my profession for anything else. Despite being happy with my job, I still have this innate feeling of being incomplete. I feel lost and restless.

As I grow older, my restlessness worsens, I would have bouts of anxiety. Harry and Ron think that it must be Post traumatic Stress Disorder, which I might have gained after the last wizarding war. But that was years ago, and most of us have moved on from the emotional aftermath. PTSD is not the answer.

The nights when I could not sleep is increasing, and I would feel heart ache during any point of the day. When I mentioned the symptoms to a muggle doctor and a healer, both of them told me that I am just in a lot of stress. Eventually, after getting frustrated with no results, I told a healer specializing in the healing of rare magical hybrids about my odd experience of having glowing skin during my adolescent years. The healer told me that my symptoms are due to the dragon hybrid's condition.

The dragon hybrid, who is my soul mate, is running out of time to find me. Apparently, if the dragon hybrid is close to his thirties, I will start feeling escalating anxiety the the dragon hybrid experiences extreme pain and escalating anxiety due to the need to reproduce. Perplexed and conscious about inflicting harm to another, I researched enough to find that the anxiety of the soul mate as well as the pain and anxiety of the dragon hybrud will eventually dissipate.

From my research and the healer's knowledge, the pain of the dragon hybrid is not at all fatal. Based on the records of the Ministry, the lack of a dragon hybrid soul mate, does not cause death. The healer further confirms my research by stating that although the dragon hybrid will not die, the restlessness will not cease unless the dragon hybrid either finds me or reaches the age of thirty.

I just have to wait another year or two and the restlessness and anxiety that I experience will stop; much to my discomfort and the unfortunate dragon hybrid.

However, even though the healer reassured repeatedly that the pain will soon pass when the hybrid becomes thirty, I was told that compared to my restlessness, the dragon hybrid is currently in more despair and agony. The suffering dragon hybrid is currently suffering with indescribable pain, whereas I am just dealing with sleepless nights and occassional heart pangs at any random time. If I wish not to have contact or be in a relationship with the dragon hybrid, his pain is inevitable.

I know that it may seem selfish, but I would rather not be in contact with the hybrid at all.

I don't care if it is destiny or fate, I still do not believe in the idea of a soul mate.

I do not see why I should be with someone just because they are in physical pain.

That is not love. That is a threat. And I refuse to adhere to threats.

But then a very peculiar case was sent to me, a case about a dragon hybrid who is willing to pay the ministry thousands of galleons in order to find his soul mate.

The dragon hybrid is Draco Malfoy, whose mother was intentionally bitten by a dragon in order to ensure that she would successfully conceive.

Purebloods who choose to have hybrid children in order to avoid inbreeding, are desperate indeed.

Perhaps Malfoy's parents prefer to have a hybrid child instead of a squib.

Nevertheless, Draco Malfoy is a dragon hybrid.

And I got curious, very curious.

The years when my skin radiated like gold when immersed in water, was spent mostly in Hogwarts.

Both I and Draco Malfoy are in the same grade for the past seven years, and there are many occasions when his presence is undoubtedly near to mine. So many instances when we were close to any form of liquid, and yet there were enough students for him not to in any way consider me as his soul mate.

And why would he anyway?

Back then, the idea that I am his soul mate was impossible to even consider.

He would never have guessed that I could be a potential soul mate, nor could I myself even fathom the idea of being with him.

But seeing as the coincidence of having the case is too coincidental, I am very curious.

Whether or not Malfoy is my soul mate, I am curious to know how the other side lives without his soul mate.

Even though I have tried my hardest to calm my conscious mind, the idea that someone is suffering because of my intentional absence is making me feel rather guilty.

I want to know how Malfoy is coping. I have to know.

"Hermione. Hermione are you listening?" Harry says, disrupting me from my thoughts.

I blink twice and bring my attention to his face that expresses concern.

"I'm listening." I answer automatically.

"You were not answering me, you were just staring at your glass for more than a minute." He says, pertaining to the glass of water he offered me.

"Sorry, I got distracted." I reply with an apologetic smile.

"Are you sure you want to take this case?" He asks.

"Yes. No problem." I answer.

"This is Draco Malfoy we are talking about. You have to go to his manor where you were..where you were tortured. You don't have to do this." He says, closing the case file that he was about to hand out to me.

"What happened to me in Malfoy Manor was a long time ago. I'll be fine." I insist, taking the case file from him.

"I can give the case to the RCM. Nevillle is the appropriate person for the job." He suggests.

"The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is focused on ensuring the protection and rehabilitation of magical creatures. I'm pretty sure Malfoy is still part human. As a wizard, he formally requested an invesigation." I defend.

"Whether Malfoy is more of a wizard than a magical creature is still debatable. Honestly, by the way he treated us when we were in Hogwarts, I would say he is more of a monster than a human being." The raven haired man says as he adjusts his glasses.

"Malfoy requested an investigation. The case is more about investigation instead of regulation and control, Harry." I respond.

The head of the Magical Law Enforecement Department scratches his head, ruining his clean and formal hairstyle.

No matter how much Sleakeazy pomade he applies, his hair is just as uncontrollable as mine.

I tried to fix his hair with my saliva, but he swats my hand.

"Alright. Okay. You can have the case. But you need to pay Malfoy a visit today, or forfeit the case tomorrow. Malfoy is running out of time." Harry warns.

"Thanks Harry. And don't worry, Malfoy is going to have enough time to pay us a handsome check for our services." I say with confidence.

"I just want you to do your best. And be safe Hermione, the compensation does not matter." He corrects.

After lunch and another round of convincing with Harry, I arrive in front of Malfoy Manor, waiting to be permitted access. I have taken the case without much hesitation except for the nagging voice that I hear in my head, telling me that this is a terrible terrible idea. But I would like to quell my anxiety that I feel for being a dragon hybrid's soul mate. Although my personal reason is not associated with Malfoy, I believe that this case can reduce some of my restlessness, even for a little while.

After a few minutes, the elf called Rowdy, returns.

"Master Draco says you may come in, Miss Granger." The elf informs, touching my shoulder and instantly apparating us to what appears to be the family study.

"Afternoon, Granger." An unrecognizable blonde greets from a leather couch. The man lies on the black leather without much care to stand and confront his visitor formally.

"Afternoon, Malfoy." I hesitantly reply, carefully making my way to an empty seat adjacent to the couch that he is in. Without a word, I rest the case file on the coffee table in front of me and wait for his response. I tap my heel on the ancient marble floors in order to have a show of impatience.

"Out of all the people who they could have chosen for my case, they chose you?" He questions.

"I volunteered. I was..I was curious as to how a former classmate is faring with such a predicament." I explain. He scoffs, opening his eyes to look at me with what I assume to be disgust.

"So you have heard of my predicament?" He says weakly.

"Yes." I reply.

"You must be enjoying this." He reacts, bring his tired gaze to the ceiling.

"No. I am not. I know someone who..who is dealing with the same situation. He was able to cope well." I tell him.

"How was he able to deal with the pain?" He asks, somewhat interested.

"He uh..he used a lot of pain-numbing potions and salve." I continue to lie.

He laughs uncharacteristically.

"He's lying. Whoever that is. Pain-numbing potions and salve does not help." He comments, and then taps his chest with his fist, right where a heart should be.

"I feel like dying Granger. The pain is indescribable. But I guess the only way I could describe the pain is having the feeling of dying every day, over and over again." He then grabs my hand without hesitation, resting my palm on his chest. He uses my hand to slam on his clammy skin, wanting to explain better.

I hear his heart beating very fast, as if the idea of letting him live is too difficult to perform.

"Everything hurts, everything hurts and I..wait." He stops explaining his predicament, choosing to note that my hand is resting on his bare chest. "The pain..the pain is gone, what happened?" He says, looking almost instantly better. The dark circles under his eyes disappears, and his heart is beating soundly.

"W-what was that?" I question, noticing the same familiar golden hue on my hand which I instantly took out of Malfoy's torso. My tolerable anxiety that was fogging my mind is now gone, and I feel clarity. I feel refreshed and clear and so content and..and then I feel fear. I feel fear of the possibility.

I feel fear of the possibility that my similarities with Malfoy is stronger than I thought.

"Merlin! I'm cured!" He says, smiling and walking around without difficulty. "What did you do? Granger? What did you.." And then his optimistic face started to fade away, replaced by the expression he was wearing only a few moments ago. "Ugh, Merlin. What happened? I feel terrible again." He says.

He makes his way back to his couch like a dying man, trembling with every step he took.

"Malfoy, are you alright?" I ask.

"No, I'm not alright Granger. Isn't it obvious? Ugh. Sorry. I'm just..I'm not well." He says.

His apology is making my anxiety worse.

I stand with a tremble, silently making my way out of the room.

"Granger..where are you going?"

"I'm leaving Malfoy, I um..I just forgot something at the office so..I'll be back tomorrow or some other time." I answer robotically, trying to keep my voice even.

I need to get out of here. I need to think.

For a few seconds I can feel his frown boring a hole at the back of my head, then he sighs and proceeds to shuffle from where he sat. Thinking that he might exhaust more of his energy, I turn to his direction with the intent to keep him from doing any more physical strain. But instead, I am faced with water.

Water is splashed on my face.

The water is from one of the glasses placed on the coffee table, which I did not give notice until now.

Fearing the worst. I wince, closing my eyes and waiting for a phenomenon to occur.

When I open my eyes, nothing happened. I am only faced with a scowling Malfoy, who now looks more livid than ill. He scrutinizes me carefully, watching for any reaction of some sort. But then sighs and turns away without a word, making his way back to his leather couch.

"What was that for?!" I question, coughing out the water that managed to enter my mouth.

"You read my file, correct?" He points out.

"Yes, I did." I answer irritably, wringing out water from my hair.

"Just checking Granger. The bathroom is the door on your right." He says, not bothering to give me a glance, choosing to look at the ceiling blankly.

"Unbelievable." I comment, half in anger and half in dread. Hopefully I was able to act rightly insulted. I would usually say a word or two on such rude behavior, but I am still too disturbed to properly react.

I make my way to the bathroom to clean up, and I could feel my legs giving up on me. Thankfully I am able to reach the sink before my trembling knees drop on the hallway. As much as I pretended to be angry, I am actually terrified. Getting water on me, right in front of him, made me feel so lost.

I know that as soon as he sees my skin glowing, I would lose control of the situation.

But when I opened my eyes, his reaction was not as I expected.

I kept my eyes closed so I could not really tell if my skin had a golden hue when the water reached me.

Perhaps my skin did not glow at his presence.

Since he is acting like nothing significant happened, it is safe to assume that I am not his soul mate.

As I fix my hair and blouse with a simple drying spell, I could not help but feel both relief and a bout of disappointment. Although I am satisfied to find that I am not a candidate for Malfoy's soul mate, I have this strange feeling of regret or sadness that my assumptions earlier were just mere assumptions.

Perhaps, I had a thought that having Malfoy as a soul mate is not the end of the world.

And perhaps, I also had a thought that spending the rest of my life with him won't be too bad.

And maybe, just maybe, I actually thought that I would live a contented life with Malfoy.

But I guess those are just assumptions, humid hair and a damp blouse is my reality.

Slowly getting rid of my nervous reaction to being splashed with water, my thoughts are now disturbed with the running water silently introducing itself on the background. I turn towards the direction of running water, to find an overflowing small pool situated outside of the manor. The pool glows gold.

Entranced with the pool, I absentmindedly went out of the bathroom and unknowingly arrived in front of the pool, like I was in a trance for a few moments. I do not recall getting out of the manor and taking a five minute walk towards this mysterious body of water. Oddly enough, I am not at all worried.

My assumption that the pool is made out of gold is wrong. The water that resides in it only shimmers gold, but it looked like a mass of semiprecious metal from the bathroom; below the pool, is a golden egg. The reflection of the egg must have made the pool glow golden from my point of view.

I do not know why I was entranced with the pool, perhaps it reminded me of the times when my skin glowed those many years ago. Looking at the golden egg, I am so engrossed with my thoughts that I did not notice the presence of someone who is actually standing beside me the whole entire time.

"What happened? I thought you were leaving?" He asks me cautiously, but I was still surprised.

"Malfoy, don't scare me like that." I simply commented, calming myself by keeping my gaze at the pool.

"I am a former death eater who feels like Azkaban is a better alternative than the pain I am going through, scaring you is the least of my concern." He tells me weakly yet with his usual spiteful flare.

"You should be indoors, your condition might get worse." I warn him, sparing him a concerned glance before returning to the egg located at the bottom of the pool.

I thought he was going to make another snide remark or two, but he decides to stand beside me silently for a few minutes, before choosing to utter another word.

"That is a Fabergé egg." The tall blonde tells me.

"Are you..are you serious?" I comment.

He does not reply, choosing to simply glare at me like I was the outrageous one.

"A Fabergé egg is a rare jeweled piece created by the House of Fabergé. One egg can cost millions of pounds, thousands of galleons. Why do you keep a priceless muggleborn artefact at the bottom of your garden pool?" I question, truly disturbed at how the egg is being treated in such a dire manner.

"Karl Gustavovich Fabergé and his family were dragon hybrids, not muggleborn. They created Fabergé eggs in order to assist dragon hybrids to locate their soul mates. As decades past, and their family genes where introduced with neutral genes, wizard or muggle, the eggs are now rarely produced." He replies.

Having been provided with such lucrative information, I look at the golden egg in front of me with awe.

"Fascinating." I simply reply, more drawn to the egg than I was before.

"My parents purchased the egg twenty years ago, in an attempt to assist me during my current years of suffering. But since I am yet to find my soul mate, the egg remains inactive."

"How does..how does the egg work?" I warily ask.

"The egg largely carries the portion of my magical core that is affected by my dragon heritage. If my soul mate is nearby, she should be drawn to it like a fish out of water." He explains. "The egg is the only thing that is keeping me alive, if I have most of my dragon heritage in my magical core, I should be dead."

I look directly at him, alarmed at the mention of death.

Instead of his usual grey silver eyes, he looks back with golden irises.

"Malfoy..your eyes." I point out.

He looks down at the pool, looking at his reflection.

He sighs.

"Ah yes, every time I am near the egg, more of my dragon characteristics show." He says, proving his point further by showing his ears that are getting pointed and teeth that are looking sharper.

"What happens if you keep most your dragon heritage?"

"Dragon hybrids with no controlled magical cores would die if they do not find their soul mates."

"What?! I heard dragon hybrids do not die from not finding their soul mates." I react.

"Your sources are wrong, Granger. Dragon hybrids die if they do not find their soul mate. But since we can contain our dragon features through vessels such as a Fabergé egg, death is avoided."

"Oh. So this egg keeps dragon hybrids from dying. Instead, they only have symptoms of dying. This information will be very useful for my department Malfoy, for your case as well." I tell him.

"Perhaps. But the egg temporarily keeps me from dying due to my failure of not finding my soul mate. Eventually, in a few years, I am most likely dead." He adds.

"W-what do you mean? That doesn't make sense. No Dragon Hybrid in the records of the Ministry ever died due to the failure of finding a soul mate."

Malfoy laughs bitterly, not at me, or anyone in particular.

"The ministry is not the most accurate source for any magical creature, Granger. Even a book is not efficient in explaining magical creatures. You should know better, you read books more than anyone I know." He says, not bothering to express himself in sarcastic or superior manner.

"The egg only keeps me from death temporarily, because the pain never goes away. Although they have an egg, there are dragon hybrids who killed themselves due to the pain they need to suffer for the rest if their lives. To be honest, I am already losing my motivation, Granger." Malfoy confides calmly.

"No..No you can't. Life is..life is so much more than pain. You can endure it. There must be a cure." I reply illogically, rambling for reasons I am yet to comprehend.

"Granger, are you actually trying to encourage me to live?" He asks with a hint of wonder.

"Of course! Everyone has a right to live. You included." I automatically answer.

He looks away, trying to hide his face for a moment.

But I saw a glimpse of emotion beyond his negative demeanor.

"I have learned that a handful of dragon hybrids survived with no soul mates, but they also lost most of their sanity." He tells me, choosing to be calculative. "I'd rather die, Granger. I'd rather die than lose myself over the pain I currently have. Even if I have time, the pain is too much to bear." He says.

"Don't lose hope, Malfoy. I can get this case done, we are going to find her. Your soul mate." I assure.

"I haven't lost hope, Granger. I'm just being practical. If I cannot find my soul mate, then so be it. Euthanasia might be a sin in some cultures, but being properly cultured does not allow me from being narrow minded. In a universal view, death is just an end of life. Nothing more." He says bluntly.

Before I could say another word, he turns in order to walk away. Not sparing a glance.

"Go home, Granger. This is a case you cannot easily solve. I am going to request a different Auror." He decides nonchalantly.

"I'm not giving up this case, Malfoy." I reply.

"Yes you will. I am the client here, and I am requiring you to do so." He answers.

"You're not my boss. Harry is. And he would never yield to your decision to die instead of making me responsible of locating your redemption." I say defiantly.

"Redemption?" He scoffs, regarding me properly once again by looking at me with his eyes that shimmer with gold. "Big word, Granger. And my soul mate is a redemption for what exactly? My death eater background? My racist family? What exactly do you mean by redemption?" He says with spite.

"Redemption for yourself, Draco..Redemption for trying to stay alive." I explain patiently, trying to calm the man in front of me who continues to glare with his gilded but beastly features. His eyes are looking more feral towards me, his sharp canine teeth are showing. His breathing is uneven and inhumane.

He realizes that he is losing control, stepping further away from the pool and reigning himself.

"This is a first time for you to call me by my first name." He says with a failing smirk.

"There is a first time for everything, Malfoy." I answer with a light laugh.

His tired grin dissipates for some reason. He chooses to look at me strangely.

And then I realize, that this is also the first time that I am regarding him like a normal person.

No..I am regarding him like I would with a friend.

During this very rare moment, I see emotions that I haven't seen from him before.

First, I saw wonder. And then a twinge of happiness.

But then he had this expression of realization, guilt, sorrow, and then resignation.

Guilt and sorrow are his most peculiar expressions.

"I don't deserve redemption, Granger. I don't deserve her." Malfoy says, reverting back to a controlled façade. He is hiding something. Something that I do not know.

As he continues to walk away, I evaluate the conversation we just had today. At one point, he was considering his options, but then he expresses conflict over me..and then casualness which reverted to cold acceptance. I notice that his composure back in the Manor was not as calm as it is in this moment.

And then it dawned to me.

"For the sake of the case, which I am going to give to Neville.." I start to explain, noting that Malfoy is more motivated to give attention to me, when he learns that I am giving up the case. Despite getting his attention, he is choosing not to stop in making his leave and leaving me on my own.

"If your soul mate is found, and she will be, what is she supposed to do in order to keep you from dying?" I ask, making my voice louder since he is still walking away but in a much slower pace.

"She just needs to touch the egg really. My magical core contained within the egg will react to her, and then the rest of my magical core will be released to her. My magical core will be whole again, with her by my side for most of my life, and my pain will eventually disappear overtime." He says as he leaves.

"Malfoy." I call to him, he looks back with irises that are returning to the usual silver color.

A pity, I actually like how his eyes glinted like the golden hue I am familiar with.

A golden hue that reminds me of my skin when reacting to water.

"You know who she is, don't you?" I ask.

His mouth drops momentarily, but recovers to an unreadable stance.

"It doesn't matter now." He says, hiding his trembling hands on the pockets of his trousers.

"What did you see, Malfoy? When you intentionally threw water on me. What did you see?" I question.

His pointed ears prick with attention, his face shows another wave of foreign emotions.

"Do you really need to know?" He murmurs, lowering his eyes.

"I don't have to know, Malfoy. I want to know." I tell him before I make my way to the edge of the pool.

I remove my coat and boots, and then I dove into the water.

The pool is actually deeper than I thought, the Fabergé egg is at least twenty feet. I struggle as I try to get down, regretting that I did not take in enough oxygen. The water is cold and my reserved air is painful. Nevertheless, I use my arms and my legs to get lower and lower towards the egg.

I few feet away from the egg, the glow that is coming from the jeweled artefact is brighter, and the water around me is oddly even warmer than the surface. Encouraged, I make my way to comforting light and warmth of the golden egg which is opposite to the cold dark areas of the astoundingly deep pool.

Despite the light and the warmth, I am running out of air.

I am getting dizzy, nauseated. My vision is blurring, but the egg is so very close.

A few more kicks, and I can reach the egg. But I am losing my consciousness.

Before my body starts to shut down, something grabs me on the waist, waking me up enough to see what is taking me away from the egg. My waist is surrounded by an arm that has the same white scales which are similar with the scales that my head is resting on. I find that I am being held by a creature.

The creature is part man and part beast. I could tell because the arms and chest have more human features than an animal. I would have screamed if I could, when I see a large pale reptilian tail that is directing us to the surface, but hearing the heart of the creature close to my ear, calms me.

Based on the familiar heartbeats of the creature, I have a strong notion of what the creature is.

Looking up fearlessly at the creature's face, I see his unmistakable large golden irises.

The creature is Draco Malfoy.

His blonde hair is longer, flowing around his head. His head has several prominent horns that are similar with a Hebridian Black dragon that Charlie tames, numerous black horns from his brow to his spine. He has a mild snout to him. With a low growl, his nose and sharp teeth are more beast than human.

He was trying to save me, trying to reach the surface as fast as possible.

But I did not want to be saved.

I struggle at his hold, kicking and trashing weakly. I am still running out of air, and I can pass out any second. Realizing that I am losing energy to resist, he pauses halfway through and regards me with an inhumane whimper. He then transforms before my very eyes, looking more human than beast.

He regards me face to face, holding me with his arms that are now less rough than it was. His facial features softens into the face that I am familiar with. Quickly noticing my weak composure, he holds me close and brings his lips to mine. He pushes air into my mouth, carefully making my lungs work better.

Eventually my nausea disappears enough for me to have energy to open my eyes.

With my eyes now open, I can clearly see his face that is focused on keeping me alive. His eyes are closed, directing his attention to breathing evenly for the both of us. He then draws his hand on my chest, checking if I am breathing normally. He still his hand above my heart, checking my heart rate.

It took a while for my body regain balance, I started to worry that he might be running out of oxygen. But I notice the gills below his neck which he points out. I guess my heart rate spiked up a little bit and he probably thought I was fretting on why his lungs are not yet giving out or failing him.

Wanting him to know that I am okay, I rest my hand on his. Realizing that I am more conscious, he opens his large eyes to look directly at mine. He tried to take his hand away, but I link my hand on his. His hand is large and rough, his nails are claws and the skin is scaly. But I didn't mind. I hold his hand confidently.

Alarmed with my hand, he looks at me with worry and conflict.

Not wanting to reflect on my actions any further, he again attempts to get us out of the pool. I then retaliate by thrashing around in order to get away from his hold. Alarmed by my actions, he lets me go and then I am able to swim back down to where the egg resides. But then he blocks my way.

I try to swerve past him, but his tail pushes me back. I frown at him in protest.

He frowns back, adamant to keep me from the egg.

And then, I hear his voice on my head.

' _What are you doing?'_ He says with irritation.

Surprised, I opened my mouth but quickly close it again in order to prevent air from coming out.

' _Speak with your thoughts, Granger.'_ Malfoy instructs.

' _Are you..Oh Merlin..are we practicing telepathy right now?' I question._

' _Yes. Dragon Hybrids can communicate with whoever they wish to communicate with. Which is why I am a natural Occlumens and Legilimens. I rarely telepath with anyone, since no one can answer back. The only person who can answer back to me is either a telepath or..well..you." He directs me carefully._

I lower my gaze, peculiarly conscious.

But then I notice that my skin is shimmering the same but duller color, of the egg beneath us.

And then I remember my objective.

' _Am I glowing?' I ask._

' _What?'_ He replies, too distracted in order to properly answer.

' _Am I shimmering like gold? Is my skin glowing like the way it did, when you threw water at me back in your study?"_ I revise my question.

He pauses for a moment, blinks once, and then nods reluctantly.

Without a word, I make my way to the egg. The egg is so bright that I had to cover my eyes with my hand as I approach it with my other limb. I was about to reach for it when Malfoy confronts me again.

' _Granger, I know you are a self-sacrificing self-righteous fool. But touching that egg would mean a million regrets for you. You don't have to do this, I don't want you to do this.'_ He says.

Ignoring him, I was about to touch the egg with my fingers but he grabs my hand.

I close my eyes, not wanting to draw out anger and frustration. And then I regard him with resolution.

' _I knew for a long time, that I was a dragon hybrid's soul mate.'_ I confess.

He looks at me with shock, taken aback.

' _My skin was glowing since Hogwarts. It would be odd for me not to research the phenomenon.'_

' _Typical, Granger.'_ He agrees with a nod, realizing the obvious reason.

' _But I never believed in fate and I believed that my soul mate will survive without me, based on my research. But I was wrong. I was just trying to convince myself that such a..that my soul mate can live his life without me. And that..'_ I bring my hand to touch his face, he hesitated but relaxes with my touch.

' _I wanted to believe that I can stay away from this, from you.'_ I say, brushing his stray hair.

' _Granger, this is a curse. You were right to stay away. Your life will be better without me.'_ He argues.

' _Maybe this is a curse, maybe not. But you saved my life three times, and I won't just do nothing about saving your life, when I have the capacity to do so.'_

' _I did not save your life three times, when did I ever do such a thing?'_ He asks with a confused look.

' _First was, when you threw water on me and my skin glowed, but you pretended that I was not your soul mate. You wanted to spare me from a life of being in any way associated with you.'_

He was about to interrupt, but I prevent him from doing so by making a silent gesture with my hand.

' _Second was, when you dove into the pool. You knew that the pool was too deep, and I was going to drown before I could reach the egg.'_

' _And the third?'_ He asks.

' _The third time that you saved my life, is when you still wanted me to stay away from the egg. Even though I already took initiative to save your ass. You didn't want me to save you in order to spare me from what you assume to be a horrible stupid mistake of misjudgment towards life with you in mine.'_

' _I don't think those instances are considered lifesaving events.'_ He corrects.

I bring my lips to his. Taking the hint that I needed air, he provides enough for me to keep me going.

' _Okay, the first and third events are perhaps marginally related to saving my life. But the second is no doubt lifesaving as well as the first and second time you kissed me in order to keep me from drowning.'_

' _That was not kissing, that was—uh okay keeping you from drowning. But not kissing.'_ He objects.

' _Well it was not mouth to mouth resuscitation because I am very much aware of what was happening the whole entire time. I have no idea how to term the action, so I just used kissing. No big deal.'_ I say, brushing off the growing discomfort of describing his actions in a more intimate manner than expected.

He closes his eyes and covers his face with his hand for a moment.

' _And I am pretty sure I will have to kiss you more than twice in order to get out of this pool with the egg. Perhaps five or six times since this conversation is taking so long to finish. So that would mean that you will be saving my life more than ten times. Being your soul mate is not enough to atone for that.'_

I pull his neck and bring his mouth to mine once again, demanding air, he obliges.

' _You are impossible to argue with.'_ He comments.

I quirk my lips while taking in oxygen, I could feel him smile in return.

' _All this time, I thought I didn't believe in fate. But I end up running towards it. Swimming to be exact.' I tell him, resting my hands on his shoulders._

' _It is not your fate to save me, Granger. Your life is better without the boy who watched as you were being tortured by his aunt. You are going to regret me.'_ Malfoy says, adamant in rejecting my decision.

' _I will definitely regret saving you, Malfoy. But if you keep me from saving you, I will also regret that for the rest of my life. The difference is that, if I will choose to save you, I still have the chance to be happy.'_

'How can you be so sure that I would make you happy?'

' _I don't. But I trust that you are going to try.'_ I tell him nervously, looking away and trying to look anything but his face or his tail. But the pool is dark as night, and I have no idea how to react with the words that subconsciously came out of my mouth. Perhaps the oxygen deprivation is getting to me.

He started to look anywhere but me as well, his nose sniffling. I swear if we are not underwater, his face is reacting as if tears are coming out of those stormy looking gilded eyes. I try not to notice but he brings both of my hands on his own, careful not to scratch me with his claws. Then he looks at me directly.

' _I don't deserve you Granger. But I am going to do everything I can to keep your trust._ ' He says, before bringing me back to his arms and pressing his lips into mine, supplying me with air.

' _Let me save you, Malfoy.'_ I tell him seriously.

After giving me oxygen, I thought he was going to let me go. But he tightened his grip on me and escalated his movements by going beyond sharing air. He deepens the kiss and then makes me shiver when his tongue hesitantly enters my mouth. I didn't return the gesture, stunned by his actions.

Thinking that I am probably horrified by what he did, he tried to back away.

Before he would finalize his insecurity, I kiss him back. I was gentle at first, careful not to scare him. But really, I am being careful for myself. I am unsure whether he is really seriously kissing me or if it was just a mistake. But he kisses me back confidently, harder even, caressing my face and my waist as he did.

His tongue caresses my mine in a slow excruciating manner, causing me to moan.

My eyes are closed, but I could tell he is smirking from getting me to react with his teasing.

He rests his forehead on mine for little while, and then lets me go without a word.

He stands in front of me with uncertainty, but waits patiently for what I am going to do next.

'Oh you are definitely not going to die.' I say, before reaching the egg, pressing my hand on the trinket.

Touching the Fabergé egg causes an explosion of light, I was blinded for a minute or two. All I could see was constant burst of gold, but eventually the lights stop and the egg does not glow anymore. I take the egg and find it opened in order to reveal nothing inside. The egg is just a simple empty vessel now.

Something large and fast catches my eye, a shadow of a large being hovers above me. But when I look up, there was nothing but the reflection of the sky. Then I am surprised by a white beast that come from below, the shadow is actually this beautiful dragon with opal scales who patiently hovers next to me.

'Malfoy is that you?' I ask the creature.

'Hold on to my neck.' The beast replies with a familiar voice.

Taking the egg with me, I grab hold of the creature's large neck without hesitation.

'Hold tight.' Draco says.

After tightening my grip, he bolts towards the surface of the pool, assisted by large powerful wings and a tail that is much larger than before. His form is anything but human, he has turned into a complete dragon. When we reach the end of the pool, he has to lower his long neck so I can reach the ground.

As soon as the dragon finds I am safe, he changes. In awe, I watch as the large beast gradually reduce in size. At first he was two stories tall, but he then returns into the size and features of the man who I am accustomed to. Although he may appear to be normal, Malfoy still has a few reptilian features.

"Your ears are still pointed, and one of your eyes is still colored gold." I tell him with my voice this time.

"I heard that dragon hybrids will maintain a few reptilian features after regaining the missing part of their magical coil. My tail and wings are gone, eventually my voice will go back to normal. But I think these are permanent." He says with a beastly voice, feeling his pointed ears and prominent fangs.

"Are you sure your voice will go back to normal?" I ask, finding the voice to be too rough for his features.

He coughs a few time. "Yes." He says with his usual human voice, his eyes are now also both silver grey.

"So, what now?" I say, smiling at him triumphantly.

"Now?" He repeats, abruptly sweeping me off my feet. I almost drop the egg from his sudden move. "Now I recuperate, get my strength back." He answers as we make our way back to the manor.

"Oh, well I suppose one does get tired from all that effort we just did. But you can put me down now, I can walk on my own. And I left my coat and shoes by the pool, I need to get those." I tell him.

"Forget your coat and shoes, I am going to buy you new ones. Hundreds if you want."

"I beg your pardon? That coat is Armani and those heels are Prada. Take me back to the pool so I can collect my things." I tell him but he does not listen. "Put me down now." I demand.

"I am very very tired Granger, I do not want to go back just to get your coat and shoes. Besides, I think it is going to rain very soon." He tells me. Sure enough, I hear thunder and see lightning on heavy clouds.

Almost instantly, drops of rain started to fall from the sky. The rain becomes stronger as we cross the garden and make a shortcut into the entrance of his home. As we are being impaled by heavy rain, I notice that my skin is not glowing anymore. I look at Malfoy to find that he does not notice.

"Your skin doesn't have to glow anymore because we already found each other." He says, carefully bringing me down in front of the manor's entrance.

"Are you..are hearing my thoughts?" I ask, opening the wooden doors of his home.

"No. But I can sense your feelings better than I used to. And you were looking at your hands and arms." He explains, before ordering an elf to fetch us towels. Within seconds the elf returns to give Draco the towels he asked. Malfoy thanks the elf, much to my surprise.

"For a second there, I thought you could read my mind." I say, taking the towel he gives to me.

"I can but, I choose not to. I know you like your privacy. Besides, I am going to know you in better ways anyway." He answers with an obvious wince of regret with his choice of words.

"What do you mean? Do you mean when we get married and time will pass?" I jokingly inquire.

Without a word, he carries me again. Despite my protests, he does not stop until we reach what I assume to be his bedroom. "Malfoy, what am I doing here?" I question.

"Granger, although I am looking better. I have not yet fully recovered. I am still in pain, and the pain will get worst if I don't get your help. I am sorry, but I still need you to do something for me." He says.

"Okay, what would that be?"

"I want you to make love with me." Malfoy replies.

I laugh, but he doesn't.

"You're serious." I conclude.

"The pain won't end until we officiate our union. Consummation will make us official." He says, taking off his wet shirt.

"Shouldn't a wizarding marriage, make our union official? Why should we have to..consummate right away?" I ask, getting nervous, covering my face just in case he decides to take of his pants as well.

"Marriage make the union of wizards' official, but not for dragons. Beasts are..well beasts." He says with labored breathes. Ever since we arrived in the manor, he is more labored when it comes to breathing, and his body is getting more erratic. He looks hot, his body is sweaty, and his eyes are changing again.

His irises are turning into gold, and his pupils are dilated.

His eyes are full of lust.

"I'm sorry Granger, but I have to do this. But if consummating is uncomfortable for you, you should leave as soon as possible while I am still in control of my actions. My dragon characteristics are getting stronger. My instinct to consummate with you will be beyond my will if we don't start soon."

"I'm not..I'm not uncomfortable with the idea of consummation. It's just..it's just that.." I didn't want to offend him, but the idea is rather overwhelming.

He sighs and looks at me with concern.

"You're a virgin, aren't you?" He points out.

I nod.

He curses.

"Now I want to have sex with you even more." He expresses, feverishly combing the hair on his head.

"I was putting my career first for the past ten years. I have been to numerous relationships before but, I never got that far." I reason, wringing my towel because I was getting more nervous as I admit to my past experiences with the opposite gender.

"You don't have to explain to me..you just..You don't have to do this." He sits on the side of his bed and closes his eyes, he tries to control his breathing but is failing miserably. "You can still back down, Granger. Leave now." He warns.

I stay where I stand.

"Please, leave." He repeats, startling me with his voice that is turning to a growl.

"I won't leave. I just..I just need a moment." I say, making my way to his bathroom without a word.

In the bathroom I run cold water on the marble tub. I start to pace back and forth, weighing my options. But my thoughts are too scattered. I take out my clothes without delay and enter the tub, letting my body shiver and contort from the icy cold water. The feel of being cold is soothing, and then I reflect.

I reflect on the events of this day, and I am able to narrow down to one option.

I have to do it.

I have to.

Having made my decision, I stand out from the tub and wrap myself with a towel.

I went out of the bathroom, hoping that I was only gone for ten minutes before chaos happened. Fortunately I still find Malfoy at the side of his bed, his fists resting on each side of his head. He is silent, and his breathing is more controlled, but he looks very tense and his upper torso is covered in sweat.

Cautiously I look at my surrounding, he broke some furniture and punched a wooden wall. He must have been trying to get the edge off, calm himself down. I am afraid that I stayed in the bathroom longer than ten minutes. Fearful that any sudden movements might aggravate him, I make my way to the exit.

The door to his room is wide open. I close the door, but did not leave the room.

"Why didn't you leave?" He says, his voice more tortured than before.

I look at his condition, he is still maintaining his composure. But I can tell that his body is heating up, the sweat on his skin is turning into steam, and his breath is fogging up the room. Scales are showing in some areas of his skin. He was doing his best to control himself, but he is failing very fast.

"I never intended to leave Malfoy. I just needed to sort my thoughts. I was never in this..situation before. And this all so sudden and I..I just needed to clear my head. I'm sorry." I say, slowly making my way to his side but cautious enough to maintain a safe distance.

"You don't have to apologize. Merlin..you're too good for me." He says.

Gradually, I let my fingers rest on his shoulder.

He shivers.

"You're cold." He comments.

Choosing not to reply, I craw to the middle of the bed and then rest both of my hands on his back. He shivers in response as I give him a light massage. He relaxes by leaning to my touch, his breathing more even, and his temperature going down. I take off my towel and reluctantly rest my torso on his back.

Immediately, his body becomes tense.

"Are you..are you sure?" He asks me without looking behind.

I bend down to bring my lips next to his ear. He groans, feeling my breast on his skin.

"Yes." I whisper to him.

He starts to hyperventilate, and then confronts me with his gorgeous gold irises. He grabs me on the shoulders and then pins me down by having a strong grip on my wrists. "I'm going to control myself as much as possible, but I won't make any promises." He tells me with as much control as possible.

"It's okay." I say soothingly, tracing his face with my fingers. "I trust you, Draco." I assure him.

He closes his eyes for a second, his face contorted with the pain of trying to stay in control.

"I'm going to make you call me by my first name, over and over again." He says, before he rests his forehead unto mine and then kisses me long and hard. I tried bringing my hands on the back of his head, but he drives my wrist on the mattress.

"Don't touch me just yet. I don't think I can control myself. Just..relax." He says, before choosing to trail kisses on my neck and then on my chest. When he suckles on my right breast and kneads the left with his fingers, I gasp. I start to tremble, overwhelmed with his touch.

"Merlin..you're so sensitive.." He comments as he continues to violate my chest. After a few minutes, his kisses becomes lower and his hands are now resting on my waist. I try to keep my hands off of him, but then he started to lick my clit and it took everything for me not to raise my hips and pull his hair.

"Draco.." I call out to him, afraid of his next move.

"That's right, love. Say my name." He says, before he licks me even harder.

"Ah..hmm..stop..Draco please..too much.." I plead, gripping on the sheets. I gasp when his fingers started to massage one area as his tongue continues to press into my folds like a muscle with a silk surface. My body was cold a few minutes ago, but now I am melting due to the temperature of his body.

I moan when one of his fingers slowly enter me. I start to tremble even more, reacting with the invading penetration. He stills perfectly, waiting for me to adjust. Only when my muscles started to relax that he drove another finger into me, and then drives his digits even deeper. I scream, reacting with pain.

The pain is sudden, breaking into a thin layer of skin. I feel the pain vibrating to my bones.

Tears started to fall from my eyes. I sob when he starts to move, because the pain becomes worse.

"Sshh, it's going to be okay Hermione. I'll make you feel better, just keep breathing." Malfoy says, kissing me on the lips, distracting me with his touch while pulling his finger away before plunging them inside me again. "Draco!" I yelp, arching my back and pushing my head to the pillow.

He kisses my neck and continues his ministrations with slow and steady repetition.

Eventually the pain becomes dull, and I start feeling pleasant sensations. The pain that was excruciating like electricity coursing through my veins, becomes euphoric and addicting. My hips want to move with his rhythm, so I let my hips follow his control. And then I want more, I want more pain, I want more.

As soon as he returns to kissing me on the lips, I take his face with my hands to get his attention.

"Draco..I want you..inside of me." I tell him.

His golden irises revert to a warm honey color, regarding me with what I can only describe as..

Devotion.

"I know you don't believe me yet, but I think I love you Hermione Granger." He says, filling my heart with emotions, making my eyes brim with tears.

"I think I love you too, Draco Malfoy." I reply, watching as my words sink into his thoughts.

And then I see him smile.

He hovers above me, kisses me thoroughly, as he steadily enters me.

Like earlier, my body feels electrified. His penis is larger and thicker than his fingers. Even though he is staying very still, the pain is too much. He tells me to bite his shoulder to ease the pain, I bit hard. Drawing blood, I decided to bite my lips instead. To prevent me from hurting myself, he kisses me.

He deepens his kiss with his tongue so I that I would not be tempted to bite my lip. I was distracted for some time, letting him play with my tongue lazily. But then I hear him groan, he was obviously suffering from the strain of controlling himself. With hesitation, I roll my hips towards him, he groans.

"Don't do that Hermione..unless you want me to fuck you hard." He warns.

"Do it Draco.." I raise my hips once more., making him snarl in frustration.

"Fuck me hard." I challenge him.

Baring his sharp canines, he grabs my hips and pushes into me violently.

I gasp and then whimpered as he drives into me even more.

The pain is such a high, followed by indescribable feelings of pleasure that transcends.

And then I feel a remarkable feeling of strong and ancient magic.

I can sense his magical core connecting to mine, enveloping my magic with raw pure energy from a being that feeds on natural forces. I look into his eyes, wondering if he feels similar sensations. His gold irises react with understanding and then pure want to be completely immersed with the experience.

He growls in an inhuman manner, and then shifts into a new position, driving himself deeper into me. The new position is touching areas that drifts me into a euphoric state. I can feel his movements react even further to my core, and then I feel like something was gradually tightening in me.

"Draco..I feel..I think I'm close to.." I gasp as his thrusts becomes even harder.

"Me too..we're almost..we're close.." He says, reining animalistic stamina to pound at me.

As he pushes into me, I widen my legs even further. Almost instantly, I am drawn into this world for a moment. A world of a deep and silent ocean and then open skies with snowcapped mountains. I think I experienced something phenomenal, out of reach. But his touches deliciously bind me to him.

"Draco.." I call out to him, knowing that we are close to the end.

He answers by pushing into me one last time.

And then, we reach the highest point of euphoria.

He fills me with a strange liquid that made me savor the sensation even more, but the liquid does not settle in one place. Instead, I can feel it being absorbed into my body. I observe that my skin started to glow gold, residing into my veins before arriving into my chest and making my heart glow underneath.

"What's happening?" I whisper.

He pushes into me a few more times, before getting satisfied. I hold on to him as he finished.

"We officiated the union. Now, part of my core will always be with you." He explains as he slowly pulls away.

"I thought..I thought your core will be completed with the union. Why is part of your core given to me?" I ask in between gasps. The glow in my heart starts to dissipate, but the feeling of new magic remains.

"Don't worry, you won't make me vulnerable. This time, part of my core will keep you more connected with me. Our bond is much stronger. Someday, we can even read each other's thoughts without permission. You could even get similar dragon features like me, a more discreet version of course."

"Well..just as long as I won't have a tail. I won't freak out." I reply.

He laughs and rests on my side, sharing my pillow.

"Dragons are said to have an insatiable need for sexual intercourse." Malfoy informs with a raised brow.

"If that is a dragon characteristic that we are going to share, I'm looking forward to the rest of our lives." I answer. He smirks in return.

"My my Granger, I never thought you would say such naughty words." He teases.

"Haven't you heard Malfoy? Dragon Tamers are always naughty." I tell him, before kissing him goodnight.

Sleeping soundly in years, I dream a safe place with water.

I always loved water.

I love the feel of water being either cool or hot, depending on the temperature.

I love how it is distinct from the area where it originated.

I love how water bends freely, encompassing space like it was meant to be there.

But most of all, I love how radiant I feel, every time I am immersed in it.

I love how water made me realize that fate shouldn't be controlled or conquered.

Fate is like a silent river, calm yet dangerously deep.

Destiny is like the ocean during a storm, soothing yet devastatingly strong.

Rain will always pour down, but living also begins after the storm.

Going against the flow is a good thing.

But we can't keep ourselves away from the current of life all the time.

Either we ignore the possibilities or we can keep ourselves from unexpecred happiness.

Like water, we should submit ourselves to what could be.

We should stop fighting sometimes, and see where the current takes us.

By letting the current take me, I find myself content in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. I do own my right to fantasize. See what I did there?

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Chapter Three – Vampire and Fire

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"Have you guys ever heard any news about Cho Chang?" Seamus Finnegan asks from his counter, passing each of us a pint of free butter beer.

I take the pint with reluctance, not impressed with his butter beer recipe that he mistakenly shared several weeks ago. Apparently he adds cinnamon and ginger. I am not much of a fan when it comes to spices. Any sort of spice is actually not at all to my liking, most especially garlic or onions.

"Oh you mean Potter's ex-girlfriend? No actually, never heard anything about her in years. Why? Did something happen to her?" Theo asks with a bored tone, not in any way interested but polite enough to engage in conversation.

"That's the thing mate. We haven't heard anything about her from our end, I was hoping you would know." The Irishman explains as he methodically wipes one of his limited crystal cocktail glasses.

"And you suppose that Slytherins would care about anyone besides their house? Much less a Ravenclaw? Have you completely forgotten that crows and snakes will always be natural enemies?" Nott replies, drinking his beer with a grimace.

"You lot never liked anyone besides yourself. But I know that you share information for a good trade." Finnegan reasons.

"Why do you need to know about Chang? As far as I know, you had your eyes for Ginny Weasley back in Hogwarts." I ask, making the bartender's face turn red as a ripe tomato.

"H-how did you know that?" Seamus questions.

"You helped her try out for the Gryffindor team in order to replace Harry when he decided not to finish his 8th year because the golden trio are exempted from taking the N.E.W.T.S. The Lucky bastard." Theodore points out.

"So? How is that a confession?!" Finnegan replies, unnecessarily raising his voice.

"Mate, it is a well-known fact that you wanted to be seeker instead of a keeper. You were second to Potter when it comes to catching the snitch at your second year tryouts. But Potter was just better than you. Which is why you gave up trying to be a seeker, Potter leaving was an opportunity." Nott reasons.

"How would you know? You never played the game!" Finnegan continues to deny.

"But instead of using that opportunity, you gave the position to the Weaslette." Theo adds.

At this point, Seamus is already fuming.

"Alright enough. The question was why you want to know more about Chang and what will you give us in exchange for baseless rumors and gossip?" I decided to intervene, not wanting to waste my time when trade is possible.

"The Changs are known for keeping Chinese Fireballs. I need to collect dragon's breath from a Chinese Fireball in order to improve my take on the Fireball Whisky. If you tell me something, I can give you guys another round on the house."

"Dragons? Why can't you ask the Weaslette's brother to help you with that? I heard Charles Weasley is a dragon tamer."

"I already did. Apparently the Chinese fireball can only be handled by a handful of Chinese families. Unfortunately most of those families are members of the Chinese mafia. And as you know, I can't be affiliated with them." Finnegan reasons patiently.

"Ah yes, of course. But since the Finnegans are part of the Irish mafia, you think that a Nott who works for the Russian mafiya and a Zabini who works for the Italian mafia will be able to assist you with your troubles." Theo loudly points out, further aggravating the bartender.

"Watch your tongue! Not everyone in this pub is affiliated with anyone." Finnegan warns, looking around for civilians.

"I want a Masseto please." I decided to chime in. So as not to attract more witnesses.

"A Masseto?! That's the most expensive wine at the rack!" Seamus reacts, glancing at the most handsome and cultured bottle of wine that stands at the most unreachable space of his collection.

"Well then good luck getting information from Nott. I'm sure he won't falsify any information he shares for a cheap taste of vodka. You should consider yourself lucky that I am not asking for the entire bottle." I reason confidently, while Theodore is snickering by my side.

Finnegan groans as he miserably reaches for the Masseto and then begrudgingly uses one of his limited crystal glasses to hold a reasonable amount of the wine.

"Don't forget to add my usual flavoring." I remind.

The bartender glares at me for five seconds before taking out a decanter from his fridge and pouring drops of virgin blood into my already indulgent drink.

"This better be legit information, Zabini." Seamus threatens, tapping his fingers on his counter.

I gratefully put my butter beer to the side and I take a nice long sip of my favorite drink, savoring the taste of well-aged merlot and unviolated plasma.

I close my eyes and sigh.

Bliss.

"Hurry up, I'm waiting." Finnegan disturbs.

"She joined the Chinese mafia." I simply answer.

"She did what?!" Seamus shouts, bringing his hands to his mouth in order to prevent him from shouting any further. "Are you serious?!" He continues, but with a softer voice.

"Gryffindor's balls. Ravenclaw's head girl joined the Chinese mafia. This is the best news I have had in years. Mind if I sell that to the Quibbler?" Theo asks with a conniving grin.

"I'm pretty sure you won't get much from that information. The Chinese mafia are not the strongest organized crime in the wizarding world, but they love Chinese fireballs for a reason." I warn.

Nott drinks his butter beer with a hard gulp.

"How did she even get in? I heard her parents are civilians." Seamus shares, ignoring his customers who are asking for attention from the far side of the counter.

"Her parents used to own several restaurants in Asia and at China town. But fast food started replacing old family restaurants back at the muggle realm. In order to support her family, she decided to ask her grandfather for a job and well.." I stop to drink more of the wine, letting the liquid settle on my mouth.

"Turns out her grandfather is part of the Yang Triad." I explain.

"The Yang Triad? The oldest traditional Chinese organized crime syndicate? _That_ triad?" Nott asks.

"She's known as, 'The forbidden Madame' apparently. She trades rare forbidden magical substances from the orient. She can definitely get what you are looking for." I further inform.

Finnegan shakes his head, quickly losing interest.

"No thanks, I'd rather not be found dead at a ditch somewhere. Burned alive by their pets." The bartender replies, leaving me with Nott who is still reacting with the information.

"I can't believe it. I mean, how did you even get that information? The Yang Triad would never share the names of their members to an outsider." Nott asks.

"It was a coincidence really." I tell him, finishing my drink and then tossing a galleon at the tip jar. "It was a coincidence when my grandfather decided that Chang and I will have an arranged marriage." I wear my coat and my hat that was resting on my chair's arm, and then walk towards the exit.

"No fucking way. Salazar's rotting corpse, you and Cho Chang?!" Theodore reacts.

"Yep. Now if you will excuse me, I have a date with my fiancé. The Forbidden Madame, does not like to wait. Ciao, don't forget to stop at Woods for the broom that Draco ordered for Scorpius."I tell Nott, leaving him to slowly applaud from the ridiculous serendipity that I am about to attend.

I apparate to China town and located the Lucky Dragon which is next to Xiu Lei's Chinese Potions and Hua Wei Fuu Dogs. The restaurant owned by the Changs is easy to find because it is the largest restaurant with the largest and most obnoxious neon sign around the boulevard.

I would never think that the Changs would have such a restaurant. The large sign and the amount of red that is used for the outside of the building is dominant and very typical for Chinese restaurants that are intended for foreign tourists. Cho Chang seemed more sophisticated back in Hogwarts years.

When I enter the restaurant, I am immediately greeted by hundreds of guests who I soon realized are members of the family. It turns out that this date was a very big deal, and everyone wanted to meet the son-in-law before the couple could officially meet for the first time. I was surprised but not bewildered.

"Look look! This is him! He handsome black man!" Says an unidentified lady, pointing directly at me.

"Ah, here here! Look at the camera! We take family picture!" Says another unidentified man who is holding what appears to be a muggle smart phone.

Out of nowhere, a dozen of unidentified people pose behind me as the man takes my picture.

As much as possible every single person tried to introduce themselves. Some were aunts, some were uncles, some were nephews, and nieces. And then there are extended relatives as well as a few familiar Triad henchmen who identified themselves as personal bodyguards for Cho Chang.

"You so handsome and have good strong teeth and thick bones! You will have nice strong babies!" One of the aunts tell me.

"Before wedding, you should have drink with the elders. They will want to know your family background." A very serious uncle says with a nod.

"I heard you and my sister Cho studied at Hogwarts! What was your house?" A teenaged boy named Chen asks, having similar features that Cho had when she was his age.

He must be a Ravenclaw too.

You wouldn't want to know my house kid.

You wouldn't want to know.

It took about thirty minutes but the excitement eventually died down. Most of the group finally decided to go back to their table. But the place is not settled enough for me to properly locate Cho.

For every interaction I had, I answered and gave a tight smile.

I greeted everyone politely and made sure to give a good impression with Cho's parents.

"Oh! You very polite! You will give me polite grandson, yes?" Cho's mother expresses with tears streaming down from her face.

"Grandfather chose strong tall man for Cho! My daughter will be very happy." Cho's father says with enthusiasm, shaking my hand more than necessary.

Apparently Cho's parents did not know that we already know each other prior to being arranged. I'm pretty sure that they will change their opinion of me when they find out that their son-in-law was a Slytherin who hangs out with a bunch of death eaters. But that conflict will be for another day.

"I'm sorry to ask but, where is Cho?" I ask the old couple.

"Oh, Cho is at the last private room from the left corridor. We wanted to make sure you have privacy to talk and get to know each other." Cho's mother, named Shan Chai, tells me kindly.

"Take all the time you need, our restaurant is 24 hours!" Do Ming Zhu, Cho's father, informs unnecessarily.

"Okay thanks Mr. and Mrs. Change. I'll go to where your daughter is waiting. Again, it is very nice to meet you." I answer, bowing respectfully.

"Oh please! Just call us mama and papa." Shan Chai graciously offers.

Flattered by my bowing, they went for another round of fussing with me their future son-in-law. After five minutes of prolonged casual conversations, I am able to get to the corridor with some more brief interruptions along the way. By the time I reach the entrance to the private room, I am exhausted.

I finally enter the private room which has a long cloth for a door. When I entire the room, I didn't bother to greet a nervous looking woman who is formally seated by a low table. I take the small stool from the opposite of the table, choosing to look up at the ceiling before properly confronting Cho Chang.

"Well. That was something else." I remark, describing my experience with her family.

"I'm sorry. I told them that they didn't have to come too. But they insisted." She tells me without much emotion.

This wasn't how I thought it would be for our first meeting. I didn't expect that I would be bombarded by her family, and I especially didn't expect her to be reacting this way.

I look at her face and she looked nervous, but accepting.

She keeps her eyes on the table, patiently waiting as I scrutinize her in front of me.

She didn't age much. But she definitely lost her baby face which she had fifteen years ago.

She's angular, too angular for my liking. I can see her cheekbones and the skin around her eyes are a bit sunken. She used to have a healthier complexion, but now she is much paler and rather sickly. Having well maintained eyebrows and wearing dark thick eyeliner and dark lipstick does not help.

If it weren't for her nose and her lips, I wouldn't have recognized her.

She may not look as healthy as before, but still she grew up to be quite a beauty.

She turned out to be tall and slim, judging from just her upper torso. Her neck and limbs are long and look graceful, her long black hair cascades like silk from her face to her shoulders. Wearing a plain black sleeveless dress, I see intricate tattoos on her arms. The tattoos are black lotus flowers.

She has some prominent scars, one on the right side of her face which looks like a cut from a knife. Another looks like an old wound from a gunshot. Some are shrapnel marks which can be found like specks from her neck to one side of her torso. I can see stiches on her shoulder blade and hand.

"You're beautiful." I tell her, without thinking.

As soon as she heard those words, she looks up and shows me more of herself.

Her eyes.

Her eyes are..vulnerable. Yet very very strong.

Her eyes are onyx with a touch of dark garnet.

I don't recall her eyes being so attractive. I mean she was attractive back then but I never really noticed her eyes. Her eyes tell a story. Her eyes are hypnotizing and enticing to look at.

"I mean..you look like a badass but..you're beautiful that way." I tell her.

"Thank you..I guess." She says, not sure what to make with my compliment.

I guess she didn't have a compliment for a while now.

Or at least, not in the way I complimented her.

I was being awkward for a moment. She was being awkward too.

And that's fine. Because awkwardness would mean a thousand things.

Normal people think that awkwardness is something that should be removed. But awkwardness reminds us what being human is. For a while now, I often times forgot how to be human. I've been through too many situations, too many trials and errors. I just..I just get tired and feel nothing just to keep going.

This awkwardness..I feel something.

This could be something.

She could be someone.

"So..um..I guess you're wondering why I accepted the proposal." Cho shyly says, getting a warmed teapot and pouring me a cup of tea.

Still wanting to keep the taste of wine for a little longer, I choose to watch the tea float a small piece of twig on the middle. The steam rises and expresses notes of burnt rice and mountain leaves.

"That is definitely my main question. Yes." I confirm.

She sighs, pouring herself some tea and then sipping slowly.

"I apologize..Mr. Blaise Zabini..I know that we really don't know each other but..my grandfather gave me the option of either choosing you or a muggleborn called Keiisuke Shinoda from the Yamato family." She tells me.

"Keiisuke Shinoda? You mean the head of the Japanese Yakuza's largest clan?" I ask.

She nods.

"But he's sixty years old." I inform plainly.

"Yes..my grandfather thinks that the age gap is not much of a difference but.."

"Oh no. There is definitely a difference. You're at least half his age." I cut in, still in disbelief that an arranged marriage could still defy modern civilization.

"Age is not a problem for me..its just that I have nothing in common with him. You however…well..we went through the same events at some point of our lives. I'm sorry but that is the only reason why I chose you and your family instead. I understand if you will reject my decision..just please.."

She bows lowly, her forehead almost reaching the table.

"Please give me time to deal with the situation." She explains with a lot of control.

Cho is not used to being in this situation. She is not used to explaining herself or her decisions. Most likely she did not need to explain herself for a while. She forgot how to properly ask for a request or a plea for help. She sounds robotic and resigned, but with a hint of desperation and urgency.

"Chang..this is the 21st Century. You can make your own decisions." I point out.

"My grandfather believes that women my age should have been married a long time ago. If I do not get his approval, my family will be on the streets. Even if we managed to live independently, members of the Yang Triad will try to find us and kill us. My brother is still studying in Hogwarts…he needs security."

"Look Cho..if you're afraid of your family's safety..I can help you out. I can keep you safe, we can hide you somewhere and then-"

"And then what?" She says cutting me off. "Am I supposed to let my entire family hide from the shadows for the rest of their lives? Do you really think your family can protect me?" She says ruthlessly, determined to accept hopelessness but refusing to make her situation break her.

"I researched you. I know enough of your background in order to understand that you do not trust your own family. And you shouldn't. They killed the woman you loved, and you killed most of them in return. Realizing their mistake, they decided to give you a prominent position, to be the godfather's advisor."

"What else do you know about me?" I ask, intrigued that she knows something that very few are knowledgeable of.

"I know how you were able to kill them..you had to do illegal body modifications by using genes from magical creatures. I don't know what the creature is." She explains.

"Well that is partially true. I used a compromised venom of the creature." I clarify.

"I know that you had no choice at that time. You needed to protect people you that care about, so you had to give up part of your humanity." She says.

I frown at her, more interested with how far she went when she did her investigation.

Does she knows what happened to me?

Does she know what I am?

"I do not trust most of my family, but the people who are currently in this place, the people you talked to..they are people I care about. They are people that I want to protect. Risking my life is not enough to ensure they are safe..so I need to give up my freedom if I have to."

"Are you willing to give up part of your humanity in the process?"

"Yes." She says without hesitation.

No regrets.

No fear.

Cho Chang obviously went through a form of hell. But was it enough to break her?

Was it too much for her not to realize that self-sacrifice is also selfishness?

Or is she too selfish to understand the price of self-sacrifice?

"It looks like you gave up on your humanity a long time ago." I tell her nonchalantly, testing her.

She drinks her tea, and strokes her cup gingerly.

"I'm human enough to know that my mistakes will always haunt me. But you will not be one of my mistakes." Cho admits.

She looks at me with a determined gaze, wanting to make me understand.

But I understood completely.

"Mr. Zabini-"

"Blaise..just call me Blaise." I correct her.

"Blaise…you and I both know that our lives are more complicated than most people. You are part of my world, you know what I am talking about. If you accept the proposal, if you accept me, I will do everything for you not to regret your decision." She tells me, her eyes flickering a flash of red.

Her eyes remind me of blood.

Usually if I describe something with blood, I think of death. And death is what makes blood delicious.

But her eyes..blood is a reminder of life.

I see life in her. I see a spark.

A fire.

She's fire.

She can burn me.

She looks away. I didn't want her to. I still want to look at her more.

She can do it.

She can burn me if she wants.

And I will gladly walk through those flames and meet her there.

"Blaise?" She calls my name, and hearing her say my name feels perfect.

"Blaise? Do you need more time?" She asks.

Hearing her call my name is very very tempting.

"Let's get out of here." I tell her, grabbing her hand without her hand.

I rest her hand on the watch from my coat pocket, and then we are instantly transported to my flat.

"W-where are we?" She asks.

"At my place." I answer, hanging my coat on the coat rack.

"Why?" She questions, watching as I take off my tie and then my button down shirt.

Instead of answering her, I pin her on my wall and kiss her roughly.

At first she resisted, she tried to change her position with her legs. But I press my pelvis hard enough to force her legs to open up and around my waist. She tried to wrestle her arms free but keep them above her head and distract her with my tongue tangling with hers.

If she wanted me dead, she should have bitten my tongue. But she didn't.

If she hated this, she should have screamed and said stop. But she didn't.

If she didn't want this, she should be unresponsive.

But she wasn't.

She kisses me back, stroking my tongue in return. Her arms relaxes enough for me to let them go, and then her hands automatically rest on my neck while combing the curls on my head.

I bring down the strap of her dress and then rip off her bra. She winced but she didn't scream, her breathing is faster, and her heart is also beating faster than normal. She gasps as I mercilessly massage one of her breasts. She stops the kiss when I give her nipples a slight pinch, arching her neck.

Her neck. Her long appetizing neck.

"Blaise.." She beckons.

Hearing her say my name with longing, I take her to my arms and instantly make my way to the bedroom where I toss her on the bed and make her whimper from my dominance as I pushed my hips enough for her to feel me. Enough for her to know that I am so hard and tense for her.

"Listen to me Cho..look at me." I ask her.

She looks at me with emotions that she wasn't showing a few minutes ago, fueled by my ministrations.

"I won't regret you Cho. You will never be a regret. But you will regret me." I tell her, baring my canines that are now turning into a pair of fangs. Her eyes widens, seeing who I really am due to the soft light that is coming from the background. I bring my clawed hands on her face to feel my sharp nails.

"You-you're..a vampire." She describes. Oddly enough, without fear.

"I am only half a vampire. I intentionally injected modified venom a few years back, so that I can get my revenge..and save the remaining people that keep me walking around this godforsaken earth. If you really want to marry me, you have to deal with a real monster. And you need to be one as well." I say.

She evens out her breathing, watching me carefully.

"I need to turn you to a monster, Cho. I need to turn you like me because if you are going to deal with me for the rest of your life, all your bones will break and all your organs will burst. Your fragile body can't take my abuse, and I am a very possessive person. You will die, if I do not turn you." I explain.

She brings her hand to my face, causing me to notice her relaxed and confident state.

"I've seen real monsters in this world, and you are not one of them. If you will have me, I will always be by your side. I will do everything I can..to make you happy." She says, with a genuine smile.

The same smile I saw, all those years when she looked happy and free from the weight of the world.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." I mutter, preventing her from noticing that my eyes are glazing.

"I'm not making a promise. I'm just being..very very selfish." She replies.

I chuckle.

"Unfortunately, I am more selfish than you are." I tell her, before sinking my fangs on her neck.

At first she was rigid as I gradually drank her blood from her throat, while I shoot up my venom into her system. Is euphoric, tasting her increases my senses and make me want her even more. I can feel her underneath me, I can feel her body heat. She feels amazing, and I want to feel her even more.

As I turn her, I massage her clit with my fingers which reabsorbed the claws that I bared. Eventually she becomes comfortable with my bite and starts to soften by focusing on feeling my fingers that are now slowly penetrating her deeper and stronger.

Once I extracted enough blood and gave enough venom to replace the blood she lost, I close the wound with repetitive licks from my tongue. At this point, she is more aroused and sensitive due to the process of turning her. She feels hot and frustrated. She needs more stimulation, she needs release.

"Blaise.." She says with a sigh. She was about to touch herself but I grab her hands and let them rest on my shoulders. I take off my pants and then took the neck tie that is handing on the foot of the bed. She removes her dress and then her underwear, completely baring herself to me.

She tried to cover her breast but I take her hands and tie them with my neck tie. I then make sure that she is comfortable by taking off the pillow above her and then further hooking her hands on the metal headboard.

"You don't have to do a thing, love. I'm right here." I say, before entering without delay.

She moans as I started a slow thrusting movement, but eventually I started pushing into her faster.

"Oh merlin yes please..don't stop..ahh..hmm.." She says, coaxing me to push deeper.

Unhooking her hands from the headboard, I pull her thighs until her back faces me and her cunt is showing in a more prominent manner. I plunge into her once again and fuck her senseless.

"Ah, ah, nmh..ah Blaise! You feel..ah.."

"That's it..let go love, let go..unravel for me.." I encourage her.

We came together.

She screams silently, trembling as she takes in as much as she can.

The process was exhausting, I roll over from her and close my eyes.

When I thought that the night is over, Cho decides to straddle me and I regain my consciousness.

"My turn." She says, smiling and showing her new growing fangs.

"It looks like you're turning already" I comment. I tried to switch our position but she rakes her sharp claws on my chest, forcing me to lie down and grit my teeth.

"You don't have to do a thing, love. I'm right here." She says repeating what I told her.

I smirk as I did what she told me to do.

After adequately stimulating me with her hands, she surprises me by inserting my penis into her mouth.

"Fuck..agh..Cho, you'll be the death of me." I comment, pushing my head into the mattress. I grab her hair and pull tight, navigating her to stroke me evenly. Eventually the high was too much, her tongue swirled a particular way and I was done for.

"Stop Cho, unless you want me to cum all over your face." I warn.

She did as she was told, only to let my penis enter her vagina with a swift motion. I grip the bed covers tightly as she decides to do infinity motions at a slow and light pace. And then, realizing that she is also close, she fastens her pace while using her weight to bring me inside her before pulling slightly.

Eventually her movements were too overwhelming, I want to dominate her on our last moments of being in this cathartic state. So I pulled out of her and flipped her, and then quickly pushed into her again. She growls in protest but she starts to mewl as I pound at her deeper and faster with ferocity.

"Bite me again, Blaise..bite me before it ends." Cho instructs.

As we finish, I bite her on the shoulder this time. And as she curves her spine and rides her euphoria, I lick her blood while I gave my last thrusts in a slow and methodic manner. When her high is over, she plays with the hair on my head, satisfied as I kiss her enough for her to know that I am devoted to her.

"Cho Change, will you marry me?" I whisper to her ear.

"Yes." She whispers back.

Tasting her blood while making love is an incredible feeling of pain and ecstasy.

Her blood will remind me how bittersweet the beginning of our relationship was.

And her skin is like fire, dangerous yet scorching.

"We're not immortal right?" Cho Chang asks with a worried expression as I cover her with the blanket.

"No, we're not immortal. Thank merlin." I reply. "But tonight and the rest of my life with you will be forever." I assure her, taking her into my arms.

"Forever." She repeats to me, stealing a kiss before closing her fiery eyes.

Touching her feels like burning alive.

She can do it.

She can burn me if she wants.

And I will gladly walk through those flames and meet her there.


End file.
